Daughter of the Sun
by dove622
Summary: Shattered girl. Magnificent King. But can he put the pieces back together..or will he break her again.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I am not C.S.Lewis, but I do own all of the character (except the White Witch) in this chapter.

* * *

Prologue

The sunlight played gently across the little girl's face as she crouched behind a forest green tent, panting. She was dressed in the same elegant color, embroidered in gold, and a gold crown was perched upon her yellow locks.

"Where are you?" asked a voice around the corner.

The little girl began to chuckle.

"I can hear you." Said the voice again.

Her chuckling stopped.

The little girl stood up and quietly tip toed around the tent. Suddenly, a pair of arms reached out from behind her and lifted her up into the air.

"Gotcha." Yelled what was clearly a woman's voice.

"Mother, how did you find me?"

" I have a very good sense of direction and you left a trail of raspberry jam."

The little girl giggled, looking up to the face of the one who was holding her. She had curly light brown hair and green eyes. She was considered to be the most beautiful women in all of the lands and her kind and gentleness was spoken of everywhere.

"Your father's back." She said smiling.

"Really?" asked the little girl, " where is he now?"

"In his private tent with Lord Deberon."

"Oh..that stuffy, little, old man." She said, receiving a very stern look from her mother. "Sorry," she continued, " but it is true."

Her mother giggled.

"Now mother, can you put me down. I'm seven years old and I can walk perfectly by myself." Said the little girl matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I can put you down, but first I have to have a kiss."

The little girl pecked her mother before jumping out of her arms and running off towards another tent across the campsite. Her mother followed, smiling as she watched her weaved in and out of soldiers before she stormed into a far tent.

"Papa!" she screamed, running over and hoping onto her father's lap.

"Oh, my beautiful little sunflower. I've missed you so much." He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his daughter and planting big kisses all over her face.

"What was it like?" she asked, pulling away from her father's grip.

"Green."

"Papa." She sighed, annoyed.

"I know, it was beautiful, just like you." The little girl beamed up at her father.

"How has my little princess been since I left?"

"I've been wonderful, Father, but I miss home. When will this tour of the country end?"

"When all of the people of Archenland know that we care and concerned about their problems, my little Princess."

"But when Papa," she wined, "will we be back before my birthday?"

"Yes my sunflower, within a month we should be back home. Now, let's go eat I'm starving. Lord Deberon," he turned to the man standing in front of his desk, " would you like to join us."

"No Sire, I must go, but thank you." He bowed deeply before beginning to leave the tent, stopping in front of the flap, "Remember what we talked about." He told the King.

"I will..but I will do what is best for the people of my country."

"Yes, Sire." He replied, bowing first to the King and Queen, who had just entered the tent, before leaving.

"What was he talking about dear?" The Queen asked her husband.

"Nothing important, my dear. Just politics. Now if you would excuse me, I think that I'm going to take a nap before lunch."

"I agree that you should too." Said his wife reaching out her hand towards her daughter, "Let's go and let Father rest."

The little girl kissed the King on the cheek and jumped out of his lap.

"Come on Mummy, let's finished our game of hide and go seek." Begged the Princess.

"Alright, "smiled her mother, "One..two..three.."

The little girl ran from the ten as if she was on fire, leaving her mother and father alone.

"Now tell me what's really going on." said the Queen, turning back to her husband.

"Lord Deberon thinks that we ought to join the White Witch."

"Join the White Witch! Has Lord Deberon lost his marbles?"

"I don't know dear..but he may be right. "

"Bri..are you listening to what you are saying? Join the White Witch! She'll run Archenland like she runs Narnia…cold and cruel. And I will not stand by and watch my country be given to her."

"But Lily, it might be better."

"Better! How can it be better Brim?"

"Lord Deberon says the White Witch will stopped at nothing to control all of the lands. It will save many lives if we just give it to her now instead of her having to take it by force."

"Don't you hear what you are saying? Lord Deberon is poisoning your mind. You can't believe that it will be better for our people to have her rule. They would all eventually die. She will either kill them or they will freeze or starve. The White Witch cares only for herself and I will die before I bow to her!"

Angrily she left the tent in search of the daughter. She walked up into the forest, searching behind the trees for her. She could hear giggles from a nearby one.

"I know that you're near."

A few more giggles erupted. Her steps were growing closer to the tree. She was almost there..then…..

"MOTHER" the little girl screamed.

Lily dropped to her knees, her dress covered in blood. She gasped for air, collapsing to the ground. An arrow had struck her, piercing her heart. The small girl tried to stop her bleeding with her own hands, but she couldn't. Lily grabbed her crying daughters wrist and held her hands in hers.

"I love you …Aurora."

Her face went white.

Her skin went cold.

Queen Lily was dead.

* * *

A/N: Pretty please review. 


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hope you like my chapter. It's not very eventful..it might even be boring. But some chapters just have to be sorta boring. Anyhoo, read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I'm not a man and therefore cannot be C.S.Lewis.

Chapter One: Arrival at Cair Paravel

_9 years later_

"They'll be here any minuet." Susan said, checking her reflection in the mirror. Once she had repositioned her crown and brushed away the fly hairs from her face, she turned back to her siblings, who were lounging (or Edmund was) in their thrones.

"I wonder what there like?" said Lucy, sitting up on her knees, "Is the prince handsome?" she asked Susan eagerly.

"Of course he is." Edmund interrupted from his throne. "Why else would are _dear _sister invited him and his sister to the palace for a whole month, so she can 'woe' him." Edmund laugh at himself, thinking that he was terrible funny. But his sisters did not agree and Susan gave him a very annoyed look.

" Yes Lucy, the prince is very handsome, but he is much older that I."

"And the princess, " the little girl began again eagerly, "is she beautiful?"

"Maybe you should ask Edmund, Luc, he might think that I only invited her so that I could 'woe' her also."

The girls began to giggle and Susan sat down next to an empty throne.

"I wish Peter was here now." Lucy said, her voice changing from cheerful to sad.

"He'll be back soon Lucy." Reassured her sister, "Just think of all the stories he'll tell you about the giants." This brighten the little girls face,

"But why did he have to go?"

"Don't you listen to anything Aslan and Oreius reports to Peter?" Edmund asked.

"No Edmund, I don't try to eavesdrop on their private conversations."

The girls began to giggle again causing Edmund to sulk.

"The giants are causing a little trouble in the North, it's nothing to worry about Lucy." Susan answered her.

Just then, a great trumpet blew from outside the room.

"They're here!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

Edmund and Luck quickly repositioned themselves so that they were now sitting properly in their thrones like their sister. The two great wooden doors facing them opened, allowing three humans to walk in, lead by a faun. Mr. Tumnus hooves clicked on the marble floor as held led their guests up to the monarchs of Narnia.

"May I introduce to you His Royal Majesty King Brim of Archenland." The shorter man in the front bowed deeply. He was wearing a red tunic and a pair of brown riding pants. A leather belt was wrapped around his swelling stomach and on his feet were a pair of leather riding boots. He had a handsome face (or the Pevensie children could tell he once had) and on top of his balding head sat and fine crown of gold.

"Your Majesties," he spoke in a low rumbling voice, " I am so pleased to finally make your acquaintances. I would like to introduce to you my children, Prince Lune of Archenland, Son of the Moon. " He motioned to a young man, a little over twenty on his right. He was much taller than his father, standing almost as tall as a centaur. He was wearing a midnight blue tunic, gray riding pants and black riding boots. Handsome, as Susan had said, was an understatement to his looks. His face made every girl in every land fond after him. His hair was brown and curly and on his head sat a silver crown much like his fathers.

"And my daughter, Princess Aurora of Archenland, Daughter of the Sun."

The girl on his left curtsied gracefully. She was much shorter than her brother, only a little taller that Edmund. She was wearing a floor length golden yellow silk gown that had bell sleeves that were split all the way up to her elbow. She had curly honey blonde hair that touched the top of her shoulders and on her head she wore a silver crown much different that her brothers and fathers. The metal had been molded into swirls and set with diamonds that reflected the colors around them. She wasn't amazingly beautiful. In fact, most people wouldn't have though her as even pretty. She didn't have a cute little button nose. Actually, it was quite the opposite. And her pink lips weren't full and big, but a medium size. But she did have one feature that astounded the Pevensie children, brilliant blue eyes. They were round and deep blue, like the ocean and drew you into their gaze. It was her eyes that transfigured her from "not amazingly beautiful" on the first look to "pretty" on the next.

"Welcome to Narnia, Your Highnesses" Susan said, lowering herself into a curtsy, her brother and sister quickly following her. "I wish to apologize for my brother, King Peter's, absence. He was called away a few mornings ago to the North the meet with the giants as an uttermost urgency, but he should be back within a day."

"No need to apologize Your Majesty, for it is I that should be apologizing, for I must depart within the hour to go back to Archenland. A report was given to me this morning which shows a band of rebels gathering on the outskirts of are peaceful country."

"I wish you great speed on your journey back King Brim. Please, follow Mr. Tumnus and he will lead you to our kitchen where our chefs will prepare anything you heart desires."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your kindness has been spoken of throughout the kingdoms." He bowed once more then kissed his daughter on the cheek before following the faun out of the room. Once he left, Queen Susan turned back to the Prince and Princess of Archenland and complete silence filled the hall.

"Thank you for inviting us to Cair Paravel for the month. " Prince Lune said after a few minuets.

"Your welcome." Susan replied, "I just hope that will enjoy your stay."

"I'm sure that we will, won't we Aurora."

"Yes." Aurora answered.

Susan smile nervously as the room filled once more with silence.

"How about I show you to your rooms so that you can get settled in." She said, stepping. down from her throne, Edmund and Lucy following after her.

"Thank you, that would be wonderful." Replied Prince Lune.

Outside the Throne Room, they went down a long hall with highly polished wooden doors on either side and huge open windows that let in the cool breeze from the sea. Susan stopped in front of two wooden doors at the end of the corridor. They were decorated with scenes of Narnia, like all the other doors, and Aslan's head was in every corner. She pushed the sliver handles to reveal an elegantly decorated room. The white walls were covered with almost invisible leaves and on a platform in the middle was the dark wooden canopy bed. The four posters were topped with a white sheer fabric that was pulled to the side in the front and the bed had a silk, feather comforter. On one wall, there was a stone fireplace with an oversized, blue fainting sofa on a white fur rug and two glass doors that opened up to the marble balcony. Through the small door on the opposite wall, there was a marble bathroom.

" This is your room Princess Aurora." Susan said.

" Thank you, Your Majesty" she replied, gasping at the beauty of the room.

" Please, Princess Aurora, call me Susan."

"Only if you agree to call me Aurora."

" Of course I will, Aurora." Susan said, beaming at the Princess, " Now, we will leave you to get settled in to your room. Edmund..Lucy..come along now." Susan pushed her brother and sister out the room, leaving Aurora and Lune. Once they left, Aurora removed her crown and ran her fingers through her hair.

" You better not be long, Lu. They'll be waiting to show you your room." She said, slipping off her slippers and settling down on the bed.

"They can wait, I just want to make sure that you're alright"

She smiled at him.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"I saw your face this morning when you heard the news about the rebellion in the Northern corner. You're afraid that father will go off to war and won't come back."

Her change in express proved that he was right.

"We can't lose father Lune." She began, " With mother gone, he's all we've got. He needs us-"

"as much as we need him, I know Rora. But you don't need to make it your obligation to watch after father. Mother's death wasn't your fault and you know that."

She began to protest but he interrupted.

"Now unpack and get settle in, I'll come get you up before dinner."

Aurora smiled at her brother.

"Thank you Lune."

He kissed his sister on the cheek before leaving her alone.

Hours later, Aurora sat on her balcony with her most prized possession in her lap, her diary. It had been a present from her father on her thirteen birthday and she cherished it more that all of her other possessions. It was bewitched so that it never ran out of pages, which, after writing faithful for three years, she was appreciative for. She closed it from writing her latest entry and looked at her book. It wasn't very big and was made out of brown leather. With her finger, she traced the embroidered sun on the front as she stared out at the ocean, watching the sunset. It was the first moment since they left for Cair Paravel the she felt completely at ease. Her entire trip from Archenland, she was worried about what might be lurking around the corner or in the forest. But there, as she sat on her balcony overlooking the ocean, all of her worries seemed to melt into the ocean. She stood up and walked over to the railing so she could survey the beach around her. On the northern side she saw nothing but beach disappearing into forest and one the southern side she saw the same. But there was something on that side that intrigued her. A brown spot was slowly moving towards the castle. It looked like a centaur from where she was, but she realized when it got closer that it wasn't a half man half horse, but a man riding a horse. He had dirty blonde hair and very tan skin. His clothes were covered in dirt and his horse's legs were covered in mud. Her eyes followed him as he trotted down the beach. He was just about to reach the edge of the castle when he looked up, staring directly at Aurora. She still couldn't make out his face since he was so far away, but she could feel that their eyes were lock in a gaze that made the whole world around her fall away into nothing. Something about him made her feel safe, and it scared her. Panicking, she ran from her balcony and into her room, shutting the doors behind. She leaned against their glass and tried her hardest not the think everything about what just happened and her stranger on the beach.

Down at the stables, the rider pulled in and dismounted from his horse. A stable boy quickly ran to help him, undoing his packs and taken the reins of his horse.

"Welcome Home, King Peter the Magnificent."

A/N: I would like to thank all who reviewed:

CandieBabie30,aspirer,Hope and Love,Miluielwen,sweetblossom89 and brezzy brez

I wasn't really expecting so many positive reviews from my prologue and to tell you the truth, I was sorta scared to post this chapter cause I didn't want to disappoint anyone.

Another Note: If anyone would like to beta read for me, send me an email. I really need someone to pick up the little mistakes that I don't catch.

Please Review! It helps me get the chapters out faster.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter took so long, hopefully the next one won't. This chapter's very short and I hope that you like it.

Disclaimer: I'm not C.S.Lewis.

* * *

**Chapter Two:Unforgettable Encounter**

The birds chirping outside drove the blanket of sleep away from Aurora. Her room seemed very peaceful. There was a slight breeze coming in from the open windows along with the golden morning sunshine and the sound of the ocean was very calming. She didn't want to get up from her bed and, had she been able to, she would have stayed in it all day. Suddenly, her door opened.

" Good morning Lune." She greeted her brother who had just entered, noticing the tray in his arms, "What's that you're carrying?".

"Good morning Aurora." He replied, setting the tray at the end of her bed, " This is your breakfast."

" My breakfast. I'm going to eat breakfast with you and the Kings and Queens, aren't I."

He shook his head.

"No Aurora, breakfast ended over half and hour ago."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" She jumped out of bed and began pacing around her room, trying to get ready as fast as she could.

"Because I told the servants no to."

"Why would you do that? They must think I'm me horribly rude for missing breakfast."

"They don't Aurora, I told them that I didn't wake you up because you needed sleep. You hardly slept at all the during our entire trip here."

"I slept enough."

"No you didn't Aurora. You would lay awake all night scared of what might be out there in the woods."

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but she couldn't find anything to say. He was right.

" Now, eat your breakfast. If you need me, I'll be out on the archery range with Queen Susan..I mean Susan." He quickly corrected himself. The Kings and Queens had asked them to refer to them using their first names.

Aurora smiled in thanks as Lune left the room.

She quickly finished her breakfast of toast with raspberry jam ,her favorite, and dressed into a simple white gown. Once she was done fixing herself up in front of the mirror, she grabbed her journal and left her room to explore the castle. She went down hallway after hallway, coming across the kitchen, library, and the Grand Ballroom before stumbling upon what seemed to be a small abandoned courtyard. It was showered with roses, trailing up the surrounding stonewalls, around the small fountain and up the wooden swing. It was absolutely breathtaking. Aurora walked around the entire courtyard, slowly losing her self in its the beauty. She leaned over and smelled one of the pink roses from the overflowing flowerbeds. It smelt wonderful, enlightening her senses. She stood back up and turned to leave when….

Bump….

Thud.

She had walked right in to something, causing her journal to fall out of her hands.

"I'm so sorry." She quickly apologized, staring at the floor in embarrassment.

"No, it was entirely my fault." Said a voice that was appeared to be male. She began to feel a little more scared, knowing that she was alone with a man.

"Here, let me get that for you."

She began to protest, but her was already crouching over to pick it up.

"Thank you." she politely said, still staring at the ground.

She knew that it was rude not to look at someone when they talked to you, almost seventeen years of princess training had taught her that, and she didn't want to be known as a stuck up princess. So, fighting every voice in her head that told her to keep staring at the floor, she raised her head slightly and looked into his face for the first time. His skin was faintly tan from the hours he had spent in the sun. His dark blonde hair was swept to one side almost covering up one of his stunning blue eyes. She thought that he was very handsome.

" You must be Princess Aurora." He said with a smile. He had a beautiful smile.

She nodded.

" I'm Peter."

Reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

" Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't know it was you, Your Majesty." She rapidly said, curtseying.

"Don't apologize and please, you don't have to do that. I don't like to be treated like that all the time."

"I'm sorry Sire."

"Please, call me Peter."

"Peter." She repeated softly. She had never felt so nervous before in her entire life. Eventhough she was around a king all day, Peter, the High King of Narnia, made her feel uncomfortable. He was considered the greatest King of the greatest country and she was just a princess and no one special at that.

"How have you enjoyed your stay so far?" He asked. Aurora was surprised that he was still there. Kings never took the time to spend time with lowly Princess, the past nine years of her life had taught her that. After her mother's death, her father was too busy ruling a country to also be their primary care taker. And though he apologized many times, nothing could ever replace the hours she had spent eating dinner alone with Lune.

"It's been wonderful. Your country is very beautiful." She replied.

"Have you seen any of out country side yet?" he asked causally caressing the petals of a nearby rose.

"No, I haven't."

"Well then," he plucked it from the vine and handed it to her, " would you accompany me on an outing to the forest tomorrow?"

She stared at the rose in her hand. Inside, she was screaming 'yes'. She didn't know why. She had only known him for a few minutes, but there was something strangely familiar about him, something that made her want to spend as much time as possible with him until she figured out why. Her heart began to beat faster. She began to panic. She opened her mouth and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

" I have to go." She said and began running for the door she had entered through. She could hear him calling her name and with all her heart, she wanted to go back. But her legs kept running in the opposite direction. She ran all the way to her room, thankful that she came upon no one, and threw herself onto her bed. She wrapped herself in her blankets like a cocoon. She was afraid, and yet there was nothing to be afraid of. He was just a nice king who had politely asked her to go see the countryside with him. Nothing out of the ordinary. But why was she so scared of him? And why was she still clutching the rose?

* * *

Well..what do you think. Please Review. 

I would also like to thank my betaers: sweet blossom89 and Miluielwen and everyone else who reviewed ( I'll try to mention everyone by username next chapter)


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This chapter's short and sweet and mostly likely not very good. So if you hate it..I'm really sorry.

Another Note: I really don't want to confuse anyone with the ages and everything, so, here's a timeline of my story.

The Pevensie children have been living in Narnia for 5 years.

Peter: 18

Susan: 17

Aurora: 17(who's not a Pevensie, but you may want to know her age)

Edmund: 15

Lucy: 13

I got the initial ages from My name is not C.S. Lewis.

* * *

The Library

"_Today marks the one week anniversary of my stay here in Narnia. I have found grace and beauty in the country and all of its people. The Kings and Queens have treated Lune and I very kindly, embracing us as if we were their own kin. They have even insisted that we refer to themby their first names. Each of them has their own unique personality. Lucy, the youngest, is very vibrant and energetic. This morning, she barged into my room and jumped on my bed until I woke up, so that she could invite me to 'exclusive', as she called it, girls only breakfast with Susan and herself. Edmund is quite different. He's more reserved and spends time alone or with the other men in the castle. He finds his younger sister annoying and his older siblings too bossy at times. I think it's because ofhis age. He's fifteen and in the stage between boyhood and manhood. The age where you believe that you know every thing about everything so he can make himself look more impressive in front of other people, especially the young ladies. Susan is the gentlest being I have come across in all of the lands. I guess that's why she was crowned 'Queen Susan the Gentle' by the Great Lion_._ She and I have become the best of friends, spending many hours together on the archery range or walking along the beach, something we do almost daily. And Peter…."_

She stared at the glistening black ink. Peter. She had avoided him for the past week, ever since the incident in the courtyard. Luckily, the only times she had seen him were atmeal times where she tried her hardest not to make eye contact. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but casually glance at him. And amazingly, she found him staring at her. He would always smile a little when he noticed she was looking and she would blush and look back down at her plate. Everything about him felt safe. In his eyes she found a warm hiding place that protected her from everything, her bottled up emotion, her pain.

Aurora closed her journal. She would finish writing later. She decided to escape from her thoughts about Peter and go to her other favorite room in the entire castle, the library. It had become like a secret safe haven for when she wanted to get away from her room and still be alone. She found herself in it one day, wrapped up in one of its many books. She asked Susan about it and she said that barely anyone ever used it that she knew of. Her conformation assured Aurora that she would notbe disturbed, especiallynot byPeter. Aurora sat down on the small red couch and opened the book she had been reading the past few days. She read page after page, suddenly becoming wrapped in its words. The door quietly creaked open. Aurora looked up and found Peter standing in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll leave you alone." He apologized quickly.

"No, I'll go." She protested, standing up and making her way towards the door.

"No, stay." Peter exclaimed, placing his hand on hers on the doorknob. She raised her head and looked up into his eyes.

"There's no point if we both leave." He said with a smile.

Aurora nodded. There was no reason to argue with him. She went back over to the couch and opened her book. Peter sat down at the desk in front of her and began scratching noisily on a piece of parchment. They sat like that for several minutes. Aurora reread the same sentence many times, glancing up every so often. Peter never looked up. After a few minutes, he broke the silence.  
"What are you reading?" he asked, lifting his head

"Dances of the Faun." Aurora answered. She was now too nervous to look up. She didn't care if it was rude, she was too nervous to remember the princess lessons she was taught.

He looked back down at his paper.

"Are you scared of me?"

The questioned shocked Aurora enough to raise her head from her book.

"No, you don't scare me."

"But the other day in the courtyard, did I scare you then."

"No, you didn't scare me. Startled me yes, but you never scared me. " She lied. It wasn't all a lied though. He had startled her. But he scared her more. Scared of how comfortable he made her feel.

"I'm sorry I startled you." He said. You could hear the sincerity in his voice.

She gave him an innocent smile.

"You didn't mean too."

"I am sorry though. I hope I didn't ruin your book."

"You didn't, it's fine."

" What were you reading?"

" Actually, I wasn't. It was my journal."

"So you write?"

"Isuppose you could say that."

She looked back down at her book, frequently glancing up at him He was staring at her, making her feel more nervous.

"You know, you still haven't answered my question." He said.

Aurora looked back up at him concerned.

"Will you go riding with me tomorrow afternoon?"

There was no way she could run this time. So she decided answered him the way she wanted to the first time.

"Yes."

* * *

Thank you to all of those who have reviewed:

Eilisan

Hope and Love

Brezzybrez

Miluielwen

Candie Babie30

Love Ya Darling

Luna lovegood22

Sweet blossom89

And my two betas: Muluielwen and sweet blossom89

Sorry this chapter is so short but, I hope you like it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up this week. Pretty Please Review!


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, the one where Aurora and Peter go riding.I know what all of you are thinking, ''oooooo, I wonder what's going to happen." I do too...wait, I wroteit, so I already know. Hehe. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I look nothing like C.S.Lewis, except for the fact that both he and I have the same facial features i.e. nose, mouth,ears,eyes, so therefore I can not be him.

* * *

True Self

Aurora glanced nervously atthe clock. She was to meet Peter at the stables in ten minutes. He had pulled her aside that morning after breakfast and they had agreed to meet at eleven down at the stables. Aurora looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had chosen a gown of pale green and a long, dark hooded cape. Her golden curls were down with a few pinned up with her favorite small comb. Pleased with her appearance, she grabbed her favorite pair of Archenland riding boots and quickly pulled them on before running out the door. She arrived at the stables a few minutes early, so she decided to walk up and down the rows of horses. They all seemed to neigh at her as she passed as if stating their approval. She stopped at a dark chestnut one and stroked its nose. The horse nudged her hand and moved it up the scratch behind its ears.

"Oh, so you want to be scratched there?" she asked the horse, smiling.

"I see you've met Philip." a familiar voice saidbehind her. Aurora turned to see Peter.

"Philip? That's a very interesting name for a horse."

"He likes it." Peter reached up and began stroking Philips nose, " Don't you Philip?" he asked the horse as if expecting it to answer.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Stated the horse.

" The horse just talked!" Aurora exclaimed to Peter, eyes wide with shock.

"Yes, he did Aurora. They do that a lot here." He replied.

"Oh, I forgot they do."

"Do they not talk in Archenland?"

"A few, but I wasn't expecting this horse too. "

Aurora turned back to Philip. Peter watched her stroke the horse and smiled. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Aurora noticed that he ws looking and he blushed. They stood like that for a few minutes, until a small stable boy walked up behind them with two saddled horses.

"We should be going."

Aurora nodded and gave Philip a small kiss on the nose. She joined Peter at he horses and he helped her mount before climbing on to his own horse. With a dull kick, they were off.

They trotted down the beach and up a small hill into the woods. They didn't speak for a few minutes, enjoying the sounds of the woods; the leaves rustling in the breeze, the birds chirping,the hooves of theirhorsespounding into the dirt.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Peter asked her, as they rode past a small stream, trickling down the hills.

"Yes, it is." She replied, gazing up at the lovely sight.

Peter, who was a pace or two in front of her, slowed down so that they could ride side by side.

"What's Archenland like? Susan has visited it before, but I was unable to accompany her."

"Very similar to Narnia, with a few less talking animals."

Peter laughed remembering the incident in the barn with Philip.

"Maybe one day, I'll be able to visit."

"Hopefully you will. You and your siblings should come and stay at the Anvard, our castle."

"I think that they would like that, I know I would." He looked at her, giving her a slight smile that made her blush.

"I hear that you weren't born in Narnia.What was you home country like?"

"England?" He asked, frowning a little. He had almost forgotten about England.

" It's..cold and wet, most of the time. Nothing like here."

"Did you like it there?"

"Somewhat. When we left, the world was at war---literally. My father had gone off to fight and my mother was taking care of all of us by herself."

" Do you miss it?"

" I never have. I miss my Mum and Dad, but not England."

'Why couldn't you bring them here?"

" Aslan said that we couldn't. He said that it was our country to run..alone. Lucy was upset naturally, but the rest of us understood."

Aurora nodded in understandment. They rode a little further in silence.

"You're an excellent rider." He complemented her, noticing her form.

"Thank you," she replied, " It's probably the only thingI'm sort of good at.'

"But you're an excellent archer as well."

"Thank you, but I'm not as nearly as good as your sister." She looked at him in confusion, "And how do you know about my archery skills?"

" I watched you the other day when you were out on the range with Susan."

"So it was you I saw up on the balcony."

"Guilty as charged." They both laughed.

"So Aurora, what are you like?" heasked bluntly, temporarily forgetting his Kingly manners.

Aurora thought the question wasstrangely worded, but she understood what he meant.

"Well, I turned seventeen about two months ago."

"I thought would beabout Susan's age." He added.

"And that's about it." she shrugged.

"I know that there's more to you than that."

" And why would yousay that, Peter"

"Because there's more to a person than their age." He said kindly, " What are your hobbies?"

"Writing, reading, archery, riding, dancing." She named them off.

" So what do you write? Stories?"

" No, I haven't yet, but I want to. I write about my life and emotions."

"You're life must be a story within itself."

"Not really, I was born and raised and forcefully schooled for eleven years in every subject in the world." She smiled.

He laughed at her dry assessment of her life.

"You know, you're different than any other Princess I've ever met, though I've only met one Princess besides you."

"Thank you..I guess."

They smiled at each other, their eyes locked. Aurora's heart began to race faster and faster. But it wasn't because of fear this time. She wasn't afraid. It was something else. Something much stronger than fear. It was an emotion that she had never felt for anyone ever before.

And Peter was feeling it too.

They rode awhile longer, talking randomly about different things like Peter's life and their common interests.

"Do you swim?" he asked her, to her surprise.

They had been talking about their favorite subjects and the sudden change in subject seemed irrelevant to the conversation.

"A little, I'm afraid I'mnot very good. Why?"

He looked down to his side and at the small pond they had come across.

"No, I couldn't---"She told Peter, as he got of his horse and took off his outer tunic and shoes before diving in.

"especially in front of a man." she to herself, but Peter hear her.

"But, I'm not like any other man. You see I'm the King here and I command you to get in." He said, a mischievious twinkle in his eye.

Aurora, already off her horse, put her hands on her hips and gave him an strict look.

"Oh do you now." She asked, deciding to play along.

"Yes, I do."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and smiled sweetly at him. She knew what type of game he was playing.

"Well, sire" she began sarcastically, " I'm not like other Princesses and you'll have to make me."

Peter gladly accepted her challenge.

"Very well then."

He began splashing water on her as fast and as hard as her could. Surprised that his splash reached her, she threw off her cape and took down her hair. She quickly slipped of her shoes and jumped into the water. She swam up to Peter and began splashing him back. They swam for almost an hour, splashing each other and mock fighting .

Finally, they climbed up on the bank, both gasping from their exercise.

"I haven't done that in years." Aurora said, exhausted.

"It's my favorite swimming spot in all of Narnia. I come here when I want to relax, away from everything else."

"Do you like being King?"

"For the most part. Sometimes I feel like I'm too young to rule or too inexperienced or that the responsibility in too overwhelming. But the rewards of being King are amazing. Just to see the happiness and peace in my country makes it all worth it."

Aurora could feel that pride and love of his country in his voice. She knew that Peter, who knew nothing of the country five years ago, love it deeply, as much as to die for it.

"How about some lunch?"

"Yes, please." She said, growing aware of her hunger, "You brought lunch?"

"Of course Aurora! Haven't you heard a King is always prepared.'

He pulled a small bundle out of his riding pack and opened it up. Inside was a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a few apples. He produced two goblets and a bottle of a fruity drink. They ate their lunch under a large tree near the pond. They talked between bites, telling each other humorous stories and talking about different things.

"You're not really quiet, are you?" He asked her, finishing up his apple.

Aurora giggled at the question. She knew exactly what he was talking about. For the past nine years, she had been hidden in her little shell. She opened up to no one except her father and Lune, and even they didn't know the half of hwho she was. She wastoo afraid to get close to anyone. But, today with Peter, she let all of her barriers down, She showed her true self.

"Most people perceive me to be so."

"But you're not. The way you've been with me today is who you really are."

"It's who I was."

"Was? Why did you change."  
Aurora's gleeful eyes began to sink into sadness.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." Peter apologized quickly, noting the change.

She smiled slightly at him.

"No, you haven't. I suppose that I changed after my mother's death."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Auror."

"Thank you. But it wasn't your fault. It was mine."

"Yours? Aurora, you can't possibly think that your mother's death was your fault. I don't know what happened, but I know that it wasn't." Aurora looked up at Peter, eyes gleaming with tears.

"I've been told that for years." She said softly, "My father said it. Lune said it. And now you have." A single tear began to roll down her cheek. Peter scooted closer to her and wiped it from her smooth cheek.

"But your wrong. I'm the reason she went into the forest." Shecontinued in the same soft tone as before, " and never came out again. It was and will always be my fault, Peter and nothing will ever change that."

She wanted to climb back into her little shell, but she told herself not to. She didn't want to go back inside. She liked being who she truly was, she didn't want to be known as the quiet on or the shy one or the scared one. She wanted to be full of life and happiness and love. Peter wrapped his arms around her and leaned his mouth closely to her ear.

"Your mother," he began in a whisper, " loved you Aurora, if I know nothing else about her I know that. She doesn't want to blame yourself for her death and become something you're not, but who you are."

The word sunk deeply into Aurora's mind and for the first time in nine years, she turly smiled.

* * *

Please Review! 

And many thanks to my beta (sweet blossom89 and Miluielwen)


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long. I went on vacation for two weeks ,so I counldn't really update and then when I got back, school started and I was extremely busy. If you hate me I understand. But here it is, the long awaited chapter. It's not very moumentious (sp?) but it gives you alot of information about Queen Lily's death and what both Aurora and Peter are feeling. Hope you like it!

**Chapter Five:Aftermath**

Aurora was nervous to go to breakfast the next day. It would be the first time she would see Peter after he had dropped her off at her room the night before. They had arrived back at Cair Paravel about an hour before dinner, but Aurora was very tired and had asked to be excused from dinner. And yet, when she closed the door behind her ,her mind began alive with memories of that day, and she quickly grabbed her journal and began to scribble down every emotion and every thought inside of her. The sun had set when she finally laid down her journal. She didn't know how long she had been writing, but the four full pages describing everything about that day indicated that it had been awhile. Aurora looked up from the tiled floor and stared at the door in front of her. She had unconciously arrived at the dining hall. Half of her wanted to go in but the other half told her to run back to her room.

"What if things have changed since yesterday" she thought to herself, "What if I misinterpreted the signs and he wasn't flirting. What if he was only being kind?"

The nerves flooded through her body, her stomach felt full of some sort of squirming animal. She knew she couldn't turn back now. There was no way she could excuse herself for another meal. She placed her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. She slightly turned the handle.

Peter stared at he wooden door. He had been sitting there for almost an hour. The night before had been a very sleepless one. He spent the majority of it tossing and turning, and yet no matter how he turned or how many times her plumped his pillows, he couldn't keep his mind from thinking about Aurora. His mind replayed everything from that day; from the moment he met her in the barn to when he dropped her off at her room that evening. He never dreamed that their day together would be that amazing. Every moment he watched her she became more beautiful to him. Every smile made his heart skip a beat. No one had ever made him feel like this. He couldn't wait to see her again. He was anticipating her arrival at breakfast that morning. Every time the handle would turn, his stomach would twist into knots. But every time before it had been a false alarm. And now she was the only one left to arrive at breakfast. The silver handle began to turn. The breath caught in Peter's throat.

Aurora pushed the door open. Her eyes focused upon Peter. He smiled lightly at her and she smiled back. The, by now familiar, blush began to rise in her cheeks. She hurried over to her seat on the right side of Lune.

"Good Morning Aurora." Susan greeted her politely from nextto Peter. She returned the greeting and then moved to greet all the other occupants at the table, stopping when she came to Peter. She drew her eyes to his face. He looked very handsome that morning. He was simply dressed in a shade of brown that brought out the blue of his eyes.

"Good morning Peter." She said, barely above a whisper.

His lips curved into a gentle smile.

"Good morning Aurora." His voice sounded like sweet music to her ears.

Aurora felt relief wash all over her . She didn't know how he felt but whatever had happened yesterday was still there.

Breakfast was served only moments later and everyone became too interested in the food to talk. And Aurora was very happy about that. Besides the fact that she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before (though the cooks had sent up a tray) she didn't want to talk. She was too scared that if she opened her mouth, all of her feelings would drain out of her body. Aurora could feel his eyes staring at her. She tried her hardest to stare at her plate, but occasionally she would glance up to find him smiling at her. She hoped that no one else noticed the High Kings stares and yet, someone did. Susan nudged her foot underneath the table. Once Susan had her attention, she looked at Peter, then her, than gave her a look as if to say, "What's going on."

"Nothing." Aurora mouthed to the Queen, praying that she won't blush.

Breakfast was almost over when they heard a familiar click on the floors. Mr.Tumnus appeared moments later, a cream envelope in his hand.

"A letter for you King Peter." He said, bowing gracefully as only a faun can. Peter took the letter from his outstretched hand and quickly ripped it open and began reading the contents.

"Who is it from Peter?" Susan asked.

This surprised Aurora. She would never have dreamed to ask her family whom a letter was from; it was considered an invasion of privacy. But then again, the Pevensie children were not ordinary royals.

"It's from Aurora and Lune's father, King Brim. He asks if they might stay for another month. Apparently, the problem was a bit bigger that the anticipated. He says that there is nothing to worry about but he wishes for them to stay here for their own protection."

Aurora's heart sank. The worry that she had felt when her father first went away crept back into her mind. She feared her father's safety and the safety of the country she loved.

" Oh ,how wonderful, you'll be here for the party." Exclaimed Lucy, excitedly.

"Party? What party?" asked Aurora.

"Peter's nineteenth birthday party, of course. It going to be the biggest and best party ever in Narnia."

Lucy's comment seemed to set off a chain reaction because everyone began talking about the party instantly. Aurora's worries began to melt away. She realized that she was going to get to stay with Peter for another month and who knew what could happen.

Susan pulled back the string and let go. The arrow soared through the air and struck the center of the target.

"How was your ride yesterday?" she asked, turning to Aurora who was pulling back her own bows string.

"Wonderful." She replied, squinting to aim. She let go and the arrow flew, striking the inner most ring of their target. "Your country is very beautiful."

" I wasn't talking about the view. I was talking about Peter." Susan said bluntly.

Aurora laughed nervously.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" she lied, fidgeting with the feathers on her arrow.

"Yes, you do Aurora." Susan smirked.

" It's nothing."

"Nothing." She exclaimed, with a fake surprise expression. "Then tell me, Princess Aurora, why did your face light up this very morning when you saw him and why did your cheeks turn a most charming shade of pink when he said your name?"

Aurora thought about denying everything Susan said, but there was no point, she knew she was right.

"Okay, you're.." Aurora sighed defeated, "right."

Susan merely smirked again.

"But he doesn't feel the same about me."

Susan took an arrow from the quivers and shot it.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm not the type of girl a King falls in love with."

Meanwhile, down in the forest, Peter and Lune were having a similar conversation.

"How was you ride with my sister yesterday?" Lune asked Peter trotting up beside him.

" It was great. Aurora is nothing like I imagined her to be."

"I know what you mean. Everyone thinks that she quiet and shy, but she's really quite the opposite. I guess that after our mother died she began shutting people out of her life."

"That's what she told me. And I'm very sorry to hear about you mother."

" Thank you."he a hint of surprise in his voice. (after all, it's not very common for Aurora to open up to people, isn't it?)

"She also said that she blamed herself for you mother's death."

"She does, she has for over nine years now." Lune said sadly

"Why?" Peter feared that he might be prying, but he didn't care. He wanted to know why she blamed herself.

"Because she was the one that led mother into the forest. You see, when Aurora was little, mother and her played a practically endless game of hide and go seek. And on that day, mother had gone looking for Aurora who was hiding in the woods. Just before she found her, she was shot with an arrow in the chest."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"They found a man not very far away with matching arrows, but he himself was dead, shot also. We think that when he realized who he had shot, he stabbed himself."

"That's horrible."

"Yes, it was. Everyone in the kingdom mourned for week. My heart was broken, but I didn't show it. Father took it very hard, but no one took it harder than Aurora. She shut her self up in her room for days; she refused to talk, to eat. Then, when she finally came out, she was a different person. The little seven years old who was happy all the time was no longer there. She would rarely talk and scarcely smile. This went on for years. When she was thirteen, she finally started opening up again. But I now here in Narnia, she's become like her old self again. Something here has changed her. I don't know what but, whatever it is," Lune looked directly at Peter, "I just hope it doesn't go away."

Please read and review:)


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I have been **very** busy. I hope that you enjoy the chapter and I hope to have the next one up soon.

Chapter Six: Stars

"_I haven't seen Peter in almost a week. Two days after our outing into the woods, he left accompanied by Edmund and Lune to inspect Narnian's troops. I was quite surprised that he took Lune with him. Apparently he values Lune's expertist on troops of war and I suspect he felt guilty leaving him here at Cair Paravel with three girls._

_Nothing much is happening here at the palace. Susan mostly spends her time preparing for Peter's birthday ball. The whole castle seems to be in a state of chaos. The ball is in two weeks and preparations have already begun. Every inch has been cleaned to spotless perfection and every night at dinner, Susan Lucy and I have been trying potential courses for his birthday banquet. My favorite, so far, has been the roasted pork tenderloin, but I have a feeling the wild goose we are planning to have tonight might change that. In honor of this special occasion I am having a new dress made. I will not write the details down here for it is to be a complete surprise to everyone and not even my most trusted journal will know of it's beauty until the fateful night. I just hope it will seem as beautiful to him as it does to me._

_I can't believe that I haven't seen him in almost a week. I had hoped that he might say goodbye before he left, but he never did. Since our outing we have unfortunately not had any private conversation. He was much too busy preparing for his trip and riding or sword fighting with Lune or Edmund._

_I miss him. In all of my years, I never thought that I would ever miss a man. When I was younger, they seemed so undesirable and as I grew up, they seemed so far away, only to be admired but never to interact with. They never seemed to care about the ugly princess as I know they refer to me. But Peter is different. He makes me feel so..there is no word in any language in all of the worlds combined to describe how he makes me feel. Could it be….no I doubt it could be that. I'm only a lowly Princess and he is a Magnificent King_."

* * *

Aurora threw her quiver and bow onto her fainting couch. She undid her hair from a small clip and ran her fingers through it, to loosen her curls. Sighing heavily, she stepped out of her shoes and onto her balcony. The setting sun illuminated the beach. Her evening, so far, had been a very relaxing one. Susan, Lucy and herself had an early dinner and afterwards Aurora went to the archery range to shoot. Her time alone let her escape from the world around her. All she had to think about was the arrow leaving the bow and hitting the target. No thoughts of Lune or her father or especially Peter. Her bare feet felt cold when she stepped on the floor back in her room. Suddenly something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. There was a small cream envelope lying on her bed. She picked it up and scrutinized it. On the front of it in plain crimson letters was her name. She opened up the flap and slid a small piece of paper out of the envelope. Her eyes scanned from side to side as she read the text. 

"Aurora,

You have seen the beauty of the forest but I have one more thing to show you. Meet me down on the beach an hour after sunset."

It wasn't signed, but she knew whom it had to be from.

* * *

The sand felt cool under her bare feet. The beach was softly lit by the icy moon over head. Aurora felt the breath in her throat catch as she walked towards the shadowy figure.  
"Hullo.' She said weakly.  
His head moved up and his eyes locked with hers. A small smile spread across his face.  
"I was beginning to worry about you." Peter said.  
"Sorry I was late."  
"No worries. Here," he produced a small blanket and spread it out, "have a seat."  
"You brought a blanket for me?" Aurora was touched at his thoughtful gesture.  
"You didn't think that I was going to let a beautiful princess such as yourself sit on the dirty sand?" Aurora was thankful that the darkness hid her blush.  
His charm was as wonderful as she remembered it to be.  
She stepped onto the blanket and sat, setting her shoes next to her.  
"What is it that you wanted to show me?" she asked, looking at the handsome king next to her.  
Peter scooted over to her. It alarmed Aurora so much that she didn't notice that his arm had slipped behind her.  
"Look." He pointed up to the sky. Twinkling in the heavens were dozens of tiny stars.  
"Narnia has the most beautiful stars I've ever seen. They're better than back in my old home in England. There, their beauty is polluted with tall buildings and street lamps. But here…" he paused, looking up to the sky, "there's nothing. Just the stars."  
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the sight.Aurora rubbed her arms. The night was cooler than she had expected it to be. Peter seemed to have noticed because he took of his cape and wrapped it around her.  
"Thank you for coming here tonight Aurora." Peter said sincerely, looking at the princess.  
"Thank you for showing this to me." She replied, looking back at him with a smile.  
"You know," he began turning his gaze back to the scenery, "I almost thought that you weren't going to come tonight."  
"Why?"  
"Well, I thought that you might be mad at me for not saying goodbye." Aurora's worries from a few days ago flooded back into her memory. She was never mad or upset that he didn't say goodbye, just worried. She couldn't help feeling a little happy that he was feeling guilty. That meant he cared, didn't he?**  
**"I wasn't mad at you." She reassured him, "How could I ever be mad at you?" She spoke directly from her heart. For once,she didn't care if she sounded funny or strange.  
"Have I ever told you how happy I am that you came to Narnia?" he asked, smiling.  
"Have I ever told you how happy I am to have come?" She smiled back at him. Their eyes locked into an endless gaze. The world around them didn't seem to matter. Nothing at all seemed to matter. All that did was them, there in that moment.  
Aurora's heart was racing. She didn't notice the incoming wave drenching the hem of her dress. Everything felt so right. All of her worries began to vanish. She knew there was something there. She could see it in his eyes.  
"We probably should go back inside now." Peter said after awhile, "It's getting late."  
Aurora nodded in agreement.  
"You're right"  
Peter stood up and held out his hand to Aurora. She took in and stood up. His hand's grip never loosened. He never wanted to let go. And shedidn't want him to either. Hand in hand they walked back into the palace.  
"Thank you Peter." Aurora said softly, careful not to wake the sleeping occupants down the hall. They had now arrived at the door to her room.  
"You're welcome," he said in the same soft tone, "Thank you for coming tonight."  
"You're welcome."  
Silence filled the hall. Neither of them knew what to say next.  
"Well," Aurora began after a few seconds, " I think I'd better go to bed."  
"Yes, you probably should its…um…it's late." 

Aurora took off his cape and gave it to him, before turning to go into her room.  
She turned the handle. As soon as it clicked open, Peter spoke from behind her.  
"Aurora?" he asked, causing the princess to turn back, "would you like to go riding with me through the villages tomorrow."  
A beautiful smile spread across her face.  
"I would love to Peter."  
"Wonderful. We'll leave after breakfast then?"  
Aurora nodded in agreement.  
"Great. Well, then…goodnight." Peter didn't know what had come over him, but he grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on it. Smiling, he left her and walked down the hall.  
Aurora stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. Sighing, she leaned against it. The night had been perfect. She slowly raised her hand to examine it closely. The skin where his lips had been seemed to glisten. She brought it up to her face and pressed is against her cheek.

She was falling for the king, and all she could hope for was that he felt the same.

* * *

Please Review! 


	8. Chapter 7

Sorry this took so long..I've been very busy. Hope you like it.

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Perfect Weeks

_" Today Peter and I went to a village near Cair Paravel. The townspeople...well, townscreatures since Lune, I and the Pevensies are the only humans in Narnia-- came out to greet us as we rode by. The people of Narnia are so kind. We wandered through the streets stopping by at tiny shops along the way. My favorite was the silversmith's shop, owned by the nicest fawn. I loved looking at all the little trinkets and fine chains. Peter offered to buy me one and I turned it down. He is a very stubborn king, however, and would not take no for an answer. He bought me a small silver comb shaped to look like a rising sun. It's absolutely beautiful, too beautiful for everyday wear. I have promised myself to save it for special occasions like the upcoming ball. It doesn seem like the perfect event to wear such a lovely gift..."_

_"Today, Peter and I went down to the coast a little way from the palace. There we did something I thought I would never do: fish. Peter had suprised me by bringing two long rods wiht strings attached to the ends, and hooks attached to those. I must say that this activity quite shocked me. I had never fished before and a princess is definetely not taught how to fish. I have a feeling that had my teacher of royal etiquette - Lady Jewel- seen me today, she would have had a spontaneous fainting spell. Luckily for me though, Peter was there to teach me. I can still feel his arms around me as he helped me to cast the line into the water below. Would you believe I actually caught a fish? Sure it was a small fish, not even as big as my hand; but it was a fish none the less! Afterwards Peter cleaned it, along with the three fish he caught, skinned them and cooked them over a fire for lunch. I did not like seeing the little fish die...but I have to admit it was rather delicious..."_

_"Everything about the past two weeks has been amazing. Peter and I have been together everyday, either out riding, shooting or reading and every night we've met on the beach to watch the sunset and then gaze at the stars. I've fallen for him, I've fallen for the King of Narnia. If anyone had told me a month ago, I would have questioned their sanity.He's wonderful. He's amazing. And most of all, he makes me feel unlike I've ever felt before about any man. I don't know how he feels about me, but I can only guess- and hope- I'll find out tonight at the ball..."_

* * *

Peter paced across his room, restless, glancing frequently at the tall clock. Tonight was the night. He was going to tell Aurora everything he felt for her. Smiling softly, he remebered the past two weeks. Everything about them seemed to be perfect. He loved spending time with her more than anything. He smelled the rose in his hands. The scent invigorated his senses, calming him and exciting him at the same time. The smell reminded him of her. He thoughts stryed back to the upcoming evening. It had to be perfect. After alot of pondering, he had decide that he would tell her where they first met, in the rose courtyard. 

_"But, what am I going to say?"_

He knew what he wanted to say and yet he didn't know how. How do you translate your deepest feelign into words.

"Aurora,' he whispered turning to walk another length "I..I really care..oh that's not good enough." He stopped,frustrated "Aurora," he began again, " you're … you're? I don't know what to say."

Peter thought and thought until it hit him at last. What he wanted to say couldn't be said with the mind, it had to be said with the heart. Sighing, he tried once more.

"Aurora, you're beautiful and wonderful and from the first time I saw you I fell hopelessly in lo—"

The clock struck. It was time for the ball.

* * *

Review please!! 


	9. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I'm so sorry that this took so long. I, along with my awesome betas, have been trying to perfect this chapter since it is the chapter that inspired my story. Please review if you like it and I hope to update soon.

Chapter Eight: The Ball

Peter twirled his crown nervously. All of the guests were waiting as patiently as they could for his arrival. Any moment he would be making his grand entrance into the ballroom.

"Peter…are you ready?" asked a very dashing looking Mr. Tumnus. He was wearing Lucy's golden horn tips and a new, royal blue scarf.

Peter nodded., not trusting himself to speak. He was too nervous to speak. The grand entrance wasn't what scared him; he had done that a thousand times. It was the upcoming conversation with Aurora that he was nervous about.

_What if she doesn't feel the same way and I make a fool out of myself?_

The anxious thought swam through his mind.

_What if she already has someone…what if she is betrothed?_

He wasn't planning to propose marriage to her that evening, it was just too soon. But he had thought about it. Aurora was very special to him and he could see himself living the rest of his life beside her. This feeling fringhtened him. How could he feel so attached to someone he didn't know two months ago?

It was her presence, he decided. She made him feel utterly and hopelessly happy. She made him laugh. When she looked at him, she didn't look at the power he had. She looked at who he was. She looked at Peter Pevensie.

"Are you waiting for me?' said a familiar voice behind Peter.

He turned to face Aurora, who was smiling beautifully at him.

Her dress was elegant, but simple. It was white and gave her skin a glow. Around her waist was a glistening silver design that spiraled up over the bodice of her gown. Her spilt bell sleeves were plain and laced up with silver ribbon. Connecting to the shoulders of the dress was a sheer, silver cape that created a train behind her. Her golden curls were half way pinned back with, as Peter could see, something shaped like the sun, the comb he had bought her, and her crown haloed her head.

"You look beautiful." He said, a smile spreading across his face.

Only, he knew that there really was no word to describe how she looked. She was more than beautiful, more than gorgeous, more than any expression could do justice.

"Thank you."

A blush rose in her cheeks. Of course, this blush was nothing compared to the one she had when Peter asked her to accompany him to the ball.

To Aurora, Peter looked magistic: every inch of the king he was. His green tunic fit his body perfectly, showing off all of the muscles five years of training had given him. On the front was a gold lion, standing on his hind legs roaring. Attached to his shoulders was a dark green cape, the same color of his pants. His golden crown sat perfectly on his head.

"Are you ready?" his voice snapped her out of her temporary daze.

"I think so, though my body might think differently when I'm out there." By out there she meant walking down the isle with everyone in the ballroom looking at her. She never had liked attention. Dozens of eyes staring at her, judging her. She wasn't considered beautiful or graceful. She was plain and had a tendency to run into things more often than not.

"You'll be wonderful." He replied comforting her, "not that you aren't already."

The blush burned in her cheeks once more and she bit her lip to keep herself from smiling.

"If he keeps this up, I'm going to look like a ripe strawberry by the time we enter the hall." She thought to herself.

"Now, may I present to you the guest of honor," Mr. Tumnus' voice boomed through the hall.

Peter held out his hand to Aurora.

"If I am to escort you, I should do it properly." He cocked his head to one side, looking very playful. This look only made Aurora smile more.

She placed her hand on his and his fingers enclosed lightly around hers.

The huge doors opened, flooding them with light.

Aurora's breath caught in her throat. She tightened her hand around his.

"Don't worry," he whispered so that only they could hear, " I'm here."

"King Peter the Magnificent and Princess Aurora of Archenland, Daughter of the Sun."

They began their journey down the walkway, an amount of Narnians and guests on both sides.

Peter nodded politely at his guests, as they bowed reverently to their king. He could see Aurora out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling brightly at those she passed by.

It was perfect. The moment was perfect. He couldn't help but wonder what this would be like forever, Aurora as his Queen. Unknowing to him, she was thinking the same thing.

* * *

Her violet eyes stared at the King and Princess. She could see something between them, some spark of attraction. 

"This is going to be easier than I thought."

* * *

"Please be seated." All of the guests took their respective seats, still staring intently at Peter as he stood at the head of the table, Aurora at his side. 

"Now," he continued once everyone was seated, "I would like to thank all of you for coming this evening to celebrate my nineteenth birthday." the room erupted in cheers.

Aurora couldn't help but feel a little proud for him. Peter was able to charm a country, a country that he didn't even know of years earlier. The people of Narnia respected him...and that's what made him a true king.

"Thank you, thank you." He motioned them to quiet, "Now, my dear guests, eat ,drink and be merry!"

The people started cheering again, much louder than the first time.

Lines of servants filed in, each carrying a platter loaded with food.

"You did very well Peter." Aurora told him sincerely, as he sat down next to her.

"I did do well didn't I?" he replied, placing his hand on his chest in mock self-pride.

Aurora rolled her eyes, laughing.

"You're impossible."

Peter loved hearing her laugh.

When the last dessert plate was cleared, Peter rose again to speak.

"Now that our stomachs are filled, it is time for a bit of dancing." He offered his hand to Aurora, who placed hers in his. She could feel a dozen eyes boring into her back as they walked onto the floor. But those eyes didn't matter compared to Peter's. His blue eyes were fixed on her and her alone. They were fierce, burning into her own. He never looked away.

With a sharp motion, he turned her to face him

He placed his free hand in the small of her back, pulling her closer so that their faces were inches apart. Their intertwined hands slid to cup each others. Her small delicate hand fit in his perfectly, like it was designed especially for it. At Peter's signal, the musicians in the corner started to play a soft melody. It was one that Aurora didn't recognize, but he seemed to since he began to dance. She followed his lead, hoping that she was doing it right. Peter noticed her concentration and gave her reassuring smile.

"You're doing great." He whispered softly in to her ear.

She smiled and forgot all about the counting in her head. The moment was perfect and nothing, not even her disgraceful dancing, would ruin that.

They were soon joined by other couples including Susan and her escort Lune as well as Edmund and Lucy, the latter having begged Edmund since the beginnign of the ball to dance with her since she was too young to have an escort. However, Peter and Aurora never noticed until the song was over, they were too caught up in each other.

Everyone clapped and the musicians began to play another tune, this one, much faster than the first.

Peter began to move along with the music pulling Aurora along with him.

"Peter." She laughed, "Not so fast."

He ignored her protest, twirling her around, causing a small squeal to escape from her lips. All of the couples circled around the floor twirling and dancing along with the music.

It was the most fun Aurora had ever had.

A few ending notes were played and Peter dipped Aurora down, his arms around her waist to keep her from falling. She smiled up at him, breathing heavily.

"It's hot in here," he began, trying to catch his breath, "Do you want to go outside?"

Aurora nodded, staring up into his eyes.

He carefully pulled her up to a standing position and led her outside, never letting go of her hand.

Aurora immediately recognized is as the garden where they had first met. For the night, dozens of tiny candle had been placed throughout it, illuminating it with a soft glow. It was crowded with guests, none who seemed to notice the King ad Aurora.

He sat her down on the swing and stood in front of her.

The wave of nervousness suddenly returned.

"She looks so beautiful" he thought, staring at her smiling face.

Her smile made him worry more. He didn't want her smile to go away, let alone be the cause of its absence.

_What if I scare her? _he thought , remembering what he was going to tell her. I_ don't want her to leave; I don't want her to run away from me._

His breathing became irregular, his heart began to pound.

_It now or never._

" Aurora….I ...um," he began to pace in front of her, "um…I wanted to tell you..that I…do you want a drink?" The last words came out quickly as he tried to prolong the inevitable.

She furrowed her brow, confused.

"Yes." She softened her features, trying to ignore his actions despite her own confusion. "Please."

Relieved at her answer, he left towards the ballroom.

She sighed.

"Why is he acting so strange?" She said softly to herself.

"He's such a kind King, isn't he?" Said a sweet voice behind her.

She turned to face the speaker. She was about Aurora's age, but that is where the similarities ended. Her skin was white and pale. Her hair was a long, black waterfall that draped down her back and her eyes were deep purple with strange gold glints. She was a vision of rare beauty, so rare that Aurora wondered if there was anyone else who looked like her.

"I'm Ceridwen. And you must be Princess Aurora of Archenland."

"Yes, I am. May I ask how you knew that?" she asked, temporarily forgetting that she was announced earlier.

"Peter..." she giggled a little, covering her mouth with her hand, "I mean King Peter."

"He mentioned my name." She thought, happy that the he had brought her up in other conversations.

"It's so nice what he's doing for you." She sat down next to Aurora.

"I'm sorry?" Ceridwen's voice had pulled her form her thoughts.

"Escorting you at the ball and spending time with you while your father is away, he didn't really wan..oh" she placed her hand over her mouth, "I shouldn't have said that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that he would rather be spending the time with me. He and I are betrothed, surely he told you that."

Her words broke Aurora's heart.

"_Betrothed_…._**betrothed**_? _How can he be betrothed? I thought. the last few months..._She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but fought them back bravely,** _y_**_ou knew this was bound to happen. You knew no great King would fall in love with you._

Peter could see Aurora out in the garden, sitting by herself on the swing.

"Two drinks please." He told the waiter, turning from his beautiful princess to the drink table.

The waiter quickly filled two crystal goblets with a light red liquid, raspberry punch Peter assumed.

He looked back over at Aurora, only this time she wasn't alone.

_Ceridwen,_ he realized He would have recognized that black hair anywhere. _What is she doing here?_

Ever since he had met her two years ago, she had been nothing but a nuisance. From the beginning, she had been throwing herself at Peter, her father encouraging her as well. He didn't know why Susan had placed her on the invitation list. She knew exactly how he felt about her and, for the most part, expressed the same feelings towards Ceridwen as him.

"No he didn't." Aurora finally replied to Ceridwen's remarks, willing her voice to be steady.

"Oh," her voice was grave, but immediately perked up, "Here comes Peter now, don't act like I said anything." Her last words were directed to Aurora.

Sighing, Peter put on the happiest face he could muster for his return to Aurora. As he got closer, he could see that something was wrong. The light in her eyes seemed to be dimmed by tears. He knew she was trying to hold them back so, despite what he really wanted to do, decided to act like everything was normal until he could take her aside and ask her what was wrong. Rushing over in worry would only humiliate her, which was the last thing he wanted.

_And when I find out what Ceridwen did, I'll…_ He tried to think of an appropriate punishment. He didn't care if he was King or that she was a woman, no one touched his Aurora.

Or, at least, he hoped that she would be his.

Aurora tried her hardest not to look at the Peter. But, the longing in her heart got the better of her and she glanced up. He was carrying two clear goblets, filled with some sort of light red drink. An enormous smile was plastered on his face, though at who it was directed, Aurora didn't know.

Ceridwen, meanwhile, stood and walked gracefully over to him.

._Oh good, she's leaving._ Ceridwen had just gotten up and was walking towards him.

She drew closer and closer until finally, she was right in front of him.

He could see something in her eyes, something that frightened him immensely. He could face Giants, minotaurs and other vile creatures of the likes, but this**…**

Ignoring the goblets in his hand, she grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him Suddenly she grabbed the front of his tunic, pulling him into a kiss. The kiss was fiery and passionate and unlike any kiss Aurora had pictured her and Peter embracing in.

"What in the wor—"his thoughts were interrupted by the firm kiss she was placing on his lips. It was a hungry kiss, a fierce kiss. One that screamed passion in the action, not the feeling. For Peter it was like kissing a monkey…a very ugly monkey. He wanted to break free but every time he tried, she would pull him harder, drawing out the kiss.

Though it pained Aurora, she watched every moment hoping that there would be some sign of displeasure in Peter's face. But none ever came

When Ceridwen finally let go, Peter could see something in her face…satisfaction. A devilish grin was spread far across her face and she pranced off happily into the ballroom.

_Aurora!_ he thought frantically to himself. He searched the garden with his eyes, finding her in the swing, eyes fixed on him.

He could see the hurt in her face. Small tears were trickling down her cheeks. He began pushing through the dense crowd towards her….

"_Why would he do this to me?"_ was the only thing she could think of as she watched Peter. The tears that she had held back for so long began to fall. Her heart shattered into a million bleeding pieces. She wanted to turn away from him, but she fould herself unable to. Her body made her watch. As soon as the kiss broke, she saw Peter's eyes turn to her. He was pushing towards her now, but the crowd in the garden was thick now and it would take him awhile to get through all of the guests. His delay would allow her to get away. She needed to leave. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to hear that all the Ceridwen said was true. That he was to marry her and that she was crazy for believing that a King could fall in love with a ugly, lowly princess.

She spotted a door in the corner, just close enough that she could be through it before he was able to reach her. Making up her mind, she slid of the swing and out the door. It led to a narrow staircase that sloped down to the beach. She quickly made her way down the stairs, not stopping until she was hid in the shadows far away from the noise of the party. There she let her sobs flow.

"Why?" she repeated to herself over and over, "Why? Why? Why?" She stared out at the beach. How many nights had she spent out here with Peter, staring at the stars? Those nights had been perfect and though her heart had just been ripped in two, she didn't want to forget about them. She wanted Peter to hold her and tell her everything would be fine, to tell her it was just a dream. He never did really kiss Ceridwen. He wasn't going to marry her. It was all just a nightmare.

She vaily tried pinching herself to see if she was, in fact, dreaming. But the pain in her arm told her she was not. It was real. It had happened. This only made the tears fall harder down her face.

"She's ideal for him. She's beautiful and graceful and I'm a clumsly old hag…"

Something was placed over her mouth, silencing her. She tried to scream, but her cries fell on deaf ears.

Then, everything went black.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this has taken so long! Please forgive me and don't send the angry mobs after me. 

Chapter Nine: The Stairs

Peter frantically pushed through the crowd. He had to get to Aurora. He had to tell her it was all a lie. The image of her after the kiss was burned into his mind. His heart had broken when he looked at her.

Her eyes had shown so much pain. He had never seen her look so hurt before.

"Aurora?" he questioned out loud, finally arriving to his destination.

The swing was empty, gently rocking back and forth.

He looked around, hoping to see some, any sign of her. To what Peter could see, the other guests seemed to have taken no notce of what had happened. His eyes glanced around the room. He could see something blonde through the glass window into the ballroom.

_Could it be….no._

The owner of the blonde locks had turned to reveal a very hairy knight. Peter shuddered at the thought that he believe the he could be his beautiful Aurora. Various other golden heads caught his eyes, but they proved to be female centaurs and one rough looking faun.

She wasn't in the ballroom. Then where could she be?

He replayed the events of the evening over in his mind, searching for some clue as to where she could be. Then, a thought hit him with the remeberance of the small door behind the swing.

_Maybe she went down to the beach._

They had spent so much time down on the beach. It was their hideaway and would, at that moment, be the perfect spot for someonw who wanted to get away from the party.

The hidden door creaked open to reveal a wide staircase. No one was there. His heart sunk again. She had run far away from him and he couldn't find her.

"She must not want to see me." He said out loud, stating the obvious. Sighing, he returned to the party hoping that tomorrow he would be able to explain everything.

* * *

"Shhhh!!!!! Someone might hear you!" The old dwarf placed a stubby finger over his lips. A loud 'bump' came from the shifting shadows that he was watching.

"Careful, don't hurt her. He wants her unharmed." Said the old dwarf.

"Why does it matter, he's planning to kill her anyway?" said the shadow, in a voice higher that he old dwarf's.

"Yeah," said the other shadow, "a few bruises won't matter when she's dead."

The two shadows, who turned out to be drawfs also, began laughing at the fate of the girl in their arms.

Once again, her head rolled to the side, covering her face with blonde hair. Her body,which was cradled by the two dwarfs was limp in unconciousness. Her silver train was dragging along the ground, catching quite often on rocks and other sharp objects.

"What's keeping you." Said the other dwarf, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Her cape thing is stuck again." Exclaimed the dwarf with the high voice.

"We can't have it slowing us down." He quickly waddled over to her and , with one movement, ripped it from her shoulders. "Hurry now, they're waiting for us."

They hurried down the stairs, leaving the abandoned train glistening in the moonlight.

* * *

The next morning couldn't come fast enough for Peter. As soon as he was dressed (which he did so quickly that he almost forgot a sock) he went to Aurora's room. He knocked once, then again…..and again.

No answer.

"Aurora, please open the door. I want to explain about last night."

He heard no answer within.

His impatientce made him forget all court etiquette amd moral codes (especially those concerning girls bedrooms) and he opened the door.

"Aurora?"

Silence.

"Aurora, are you in here?"

The main room was empty and her bed was still made. He knocked softly at the bathroom door. Like before, no one answered. He cracked the door open and peeked in. The room was dark and empty.

Abandoning her room, he went to look for her at her favorite parts of the palace. The library, the stables, the archery range, and finally their courtyard: they were all emptied.

"The beach." he whispered to himself.

He felt moronic for not thinking about it earlier. It was a good place to be alone, to escape into your own mind After the incident, she must have run there, mean she could be there that very second. He noticed the same door she had used the night before and went to it, easily pushing it open to reveal the stone staircase. He went down a few steps and surveyed the beach. Nothing. Not even a single bird was enjoying the sun. On he went, going down a few more steps, hoping that her view was blocked by his position. He sighed deeply, looking at the still empty beach.As he turned to go back up ,something shiny caught his eye a few steps below. Curious, he descended to the spot so he could get a better look at what it might be. It look like a silver pool of water. He reached for it and found that it was not a pool of water, but fabric, silver fabric. He held it up, letting the fabric spread out full length. At the bottom, there were two tattered places were it look like it had been ripped off.

"I've seen this before."

Everything came into clear view in Peter's head. Hurrying as fast as he could, two steps at a time, he ran up the stairs and through the palace to the dining hall where everyone was eating.

"Aurora's been kidnapped!!!!

* * *

Reviews are always appreciated...

* * *

Return to Top 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The search for a princess

"Kidnapped? What do you mean kidnapped?" Susan exclaimed, dropping her fork with a loud clank.

"She's missing. Gone. Vanished. I've searched the castle for her and all I can find is this." He held up the silver fabric in his hands.

"Aurora's train. Peter, where did you find that?"

"On the back stone stair case leading from the garden to the beach."

"But why would the kidnappers leave it?" Edmund said from his seat, looking from his sister to his brother. "I mean, wouldn't they want to cover their tracks?"

"I don't know, Ed. Maybe they thought we didn't use it much or they're just lousy kidnappers." His expression changed from a boy to a king in one breath. "But that doesn't matter right now. Aurora's gone and we have to go after her."

"Where are you going to look, Peter?" Susan asked. "She could be anywhere."

"I don't know, Susan, I'll track them down and search every land. But I'm not coming back to this castle without her." His voice was stern and no one even dared to question him. "I have to leave now so I can catch up with them. Lune?" he said as he turned to the prince.

"Do you want to go with me?"

Lune nodded, rising from the table in one move.

"Let's go."

"Okay Susan, go to the kitchens and get enough supplies for a few days. Also get plenty of water- we don't know how often we'll be able to stop at a spring." She nodded and rushed out the side door that led to the kitchens. "Lucy, go to my study and get my map- the large one with all the lands on it." She rushed out the main entrance, almost sliding on the wooden floors from her speed. "Edmund, go ready our horses while we pack."

"Am I not going with you?"

"No, I want you to lead the army after us. They will need more time to prepare."

Edmund face dropped in fear. He had never led the army by himself- ever. Peter placed his large hand on his brother's back, trying to reassure him.

"Don't worry Ed. You'll have Orieus with you and we'll leave you many markers so that you can easily follow our path. But right now we have to hurry. We don't want them getting too far ahead."

* * *

Whether it was light or dark outside when she woke up, Aurora never knew. A heavy black bandage was wrapped tightly around her head, concealing all light from her eyes. She tried to scream, but the clothed stuffed in her mouth muffled her cries. The cloth had soaked up all the saliva, leaving her mouth dry and with a lingering, salty taste. Her hands and feet were bound together with rope that cut into her skin as she tried to squirm, at the same time dispensing warm blood over her ankles and wrists. She was sitting on something hard, like wood that was vibrating softly with motion. The vibrations were the only things that assured her that she was still alive. They went on for hours or days- Aurora knew no distinction in time. She thought about how she got there. She had run away out the back after Peter kissed...

The images formed clearly in her mind, but she shoved them back. She didn't want to think about that now.

The vibrations suddenly stopped. Aurora tipped over onto her side and rolled slightly forward. The restrictions had kept her from stopping herself. She could hear through the floor that someone was coming. She was pushed upright and her back slammed against another hard object. Rough hands removed the cloth from her mouth, scratching her skin in the process. She could smell the sweat and dirt on his skin, another indication that she was alive. Something was shoved in her mouth. Her taste buds recognized the object as a slice of browning apple. Eager for food, she quickly chewed it and swallowed, hoping another piece would follow. Two more did and she chewed them as quickly as she did the first. But, one piece slipped down the wrong way and she began to choke. She gasped for breathe a number of times until, but the air was not filling her lungs.

"Oh, is the princess choking?" She felt something metal touch her bottom lip. A warm liquid poured into her mouth and her taste buds realized that it was water. It wet her mouth and throat and quenched her thirst.

"Yes, yes," said a low male voice. "Good, isn't it? It will keep you alive...for now."

The goblet left her mouth but her body was screaming for more.

"Why are you doing this?" her shaky voice was barely audible.

"I cannot tell you." He slipped the cloth back into her mouth, "But Master and Mistress will tell you in time, little princess, in time. Now," he said more to himself than to Aurora, "Master said to bring something from the princess like last time. What to bring, what to bring…aha!"

Aurora felt her dress being ripped, exposing her shins.

"I first took her comb and now take her hem. Yes, that will lead him. That will lead him…" The voice grew softer and softer until it died all together.

She was all alone and the vibration of movement began again.

Her mind was swimming with questions.

Who are master and mistress? What did they want with her? And who were they trying to lead? Her father? Lune? Peter?

She sighed.

Peter. Peter, who had someone. Peter, who she had stupidly fallen for.

_Will he come for me? _

In her heart, she hoped he would. She hoped that he would come, fight her captors and win, and together they would ride off back to Cair Paravel on his horse. But her too perfect thoughts were interrupted with thoughts of Cerdiwen. He would rescue her, then run straight back into her arms.

_How could I be so stupid to think that he might have fallen in love with me?_

And with her last thought, she fell into silent sobs.

* * *

Peter threw his leg over the horse and settled his body in the leather saddle.

"How will we know in what direction to follow you, Sire?" Orieus asked.

"I'll send the hawk with a letter." He patted the large metal cage that sat behind him on the horse. "Call the army and have them ready so that they can leave in a moment's notice. Archemis?"

A large griffin swooped down on them and landed on a branch of a nearby tree.

"You called for me, Sire?"

"Archemis, fly north towards the land of the giants. Search all over for King Brim of Archenland, and when you find him, tell him what has happened and send him towards Edmund and the army."

The griffin bowed and with a flap of his large wings, he took off into the sky.

"I will see you all soon, I promise." The young king told his siblings. Lucy leaned forwards and huge his leg tightly. He patted her back to comfort her.

"Edmund, be careful. I'll try to send as many details as I can about our enemy. Susan, Lucy… watch Cair Paravel."

"Can't we come too Peter?" Susan asked, pulling her sister of Peter's leg.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I lost you too. You'll be safe here with Tumnus."

"Then take this." Lucy produced a small bottle of bright red liquid from her pocket. "It might come in handy."

Peter tucked it away safely in his own pocket.

"Thanks, Lucy. Are you ready to go, Lune?"

Lune nodded and urged his horse forward.

"I love you all and I will see you soon."

* * *

After a few more hours, they stopped again. The same man as before gave her water, fed her another apple with his dirty hands, and took another one of her possessions- this time her left slipper. Aurora didn't ask questions as she had before. She knew there was no point to her inquiry. He wouldn't answer and, even if he did, Aurora was too afraid to know the answers. As soon as he left, the vibrations began once more and she slowly drifted back to sleep.

"Princess--- Princess." The soft voice coaxed her out of sleep. Aurora opened her eyes against the cloth.

"Get her." The voice that was once as gentle as snow was harsh as two sets of hands grabbed her arms and pulled her out of her wooden holding place.

Her feet dragged across the ground. The stones they were traveling over were coarse. Her right slipper had fallen off, causing her two bare feet to be scratched all over. The two hands pulled her up with so much force that she was sure they would leave massive bruises on her arms. They dragged her for a long time. They made so many rights and lefts that Aurora wasn't sure which way they were going now. Her largest toe on her right foot hit a large jagged rock which ripped half of her nail off. She wanted to scream in pain. Soon, they stopped. She heard a creaking noise and felt the pressure lighten up on her wrist. She was thrown forward but caught herself moments before hitting the ground with her newly freed hands. Her gag was ripped from her mouth and her blindfold from her eyes.

"Enjoy your new quarters, _Princess_." The voice sneered and she finally looked upon the face of her captor.

He was a dwarf with a long trailing beard and equally long hair tucked under a small cap. His face was scrunched up like he had tasted something bad and his appearance made him look like he hadn't bathed in months. He was flanked on either side by two cyclops who stood almost three times as tall as their leader.

"Why?" Aurora asked not caring what answers it may bring.

The dwarf smiled cruelly.

"All in due time."


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I am back!! Sorry that I haven't updated in soooooo long but I have been at school, which takes up so much time. But this summer is dedicated to (hopefully) posting a chapter every week though we are drawing to a close on Daughter of the Sun. However, from the beginning, Daughter of the sun has been a three part story and I will continue with my plans to write to other two stories if you want me to. Just review or drop me a message with what you think, I would personally love to continue them if you want me too. Enjoy the chapter and look for the next one in a few days since it is already in betaing. Love you all and thanks for reading!!****

* * *

**

**Chapter 11 - The Search Begins**

"Let me out!" Aurora screamed, in a very unladylike manner. She pounded her fist on the door knowing that bruises would cover her knuckles the next day.

She had been screaming for a few hours now, hoping that her loud cries would fall on a wandering knight's ears. She never hoped that knight would be Peter, she had almost completely given up hope on him.

_If he were going to rescue me, he would have been here by now, wouldn't he? _This thought played over and over in her head until she had convinced herself he wasn't coming at all.

Aurora let out one more ear-piercing scream and kicked the door with her foot, which immediately began to throb with pain.

"No one is coming," she said to herself, sliding down on the far wall opposite the door. She was slowly beginning to accept that she would be here forever. Peter hadn't come, Lune hadn't come, and her father hadn't come. She couldn't think of anyone else who would ever care enough to try to save her. She would be a prisoner forever on until... no, how could she forget?

_It will keep you alive… for now._ The dwarf's words replayed in her mind. They weren't planning on keeping her, they were going to kill her.

She couldn't believe what she was doing. She was planning to give up, let them kill her without a fight.

Aurora squared her jaw and set her face into a determined expression. That wasn't going to happen today, she wasn't going to give up so easily.

Aurora went back over to the door with the intention to kick and scream until her hands and feet bled.

Splinters dug into her skin, blood gushed from her toes. But she wasn't giving up. Her voice soon became hoarse, her throat dry. That didn't stop her from screaming. The tears of pain and stress rolled down her cheeks, but she just wiped them away and kept going. A few minutes later, or perhaps an hour, she heard multiple footsteps coming down the hall. Relief swept over her like a wave. Someone had heard her cry and had come for her. The lock clicked, and the door swung open.

The dwarf and the Cyclopes who had carried her to her confinement stood before her. One of the larger creatures grabbed her arms and pushed her against the back wall. She felt the coolness of iron clasps around her wrists, holding her hands above her head. The Cyclops then got on all fours to let the dwarf climb on its back. The dwarf's eyes were vicious as they met Aurora. He gagged her again, wrapping the cloth tightly around her head.

"You were keeping Mistress and Master awake," he said harshly. "Mistress told me to give you this." He struck Aurora's face, leaving a red print of pain.

She held back her tears, willing herself not to show weakness.

The dwarf smiled wickedly at her and then left, the two Cyclopes following on either side of him.

No one would hear her now.

* * *

''

"Do you even think we are going in the right direction?" Lune asked Peter, cocking his head to look over his shoulder.

"The sand looked more disturbed on this side of the beach, like someone was trying to cover their tracks," Peter replied, hoping that would answer Lune's question. "It's the only lead we have as to where they might have taken her. Let's just continue for a few more hours, maybe we'll come across something else."

They continued on for two more hours, making light conversation just to keep from the utter silence.

"Look!" Lune broke the silence once more, looking through the trees. "There's a stream ahead, we can water the horses and break for a while."

They both stopped their horses and dismounted, leading their horses to the stream. The horses happily lapped up the water, and Lune and Peter both took a long refreshing drink and snacked on the foods in their packs. Rested and refreshed, they led their horses back to the worn-down trail they were following through the forest. They were a few paces away when Peter saw a glint of light out of the corner of his eye.

_What was that?_ he wondered,looking down in the dirt for whatever caught his eye. He found what he was looking for sticking up from the soil. The mud was packed around whatever it was, making it almost impossible for him to tell what exactly it was.

"Here, take this." Peter handed his horse's reigns to Lune and ran back to the stream to wash the dirt off whatever was in his hands.

The dirt wore away slowly as the water rushed over it. The first thing he could tell about the object were the silver points arranged like spokes protruding from whatever was in the middle. After more of the dirt had washed away, he wiped the remaining dirt off with the bottom of his tunic. In his hand laid a silver half-sun comb, the exact one he had bought for Aurora that day they went to town, the exact one Aurora was wearing the night of the ball.

* * *

''

Aurora's hands and feet still ached from beating the door. A few hours had passed since she was first chained, or at least it had felt like hours. Her arms had grown numb from being chained above her head.

She let her mind wander over many things, having nothing else to do. Aurora understood that in a few days, if not a few hours, she would be dead. She thought of the things she wished she could do before that time came: Lune would, of course, blame himself for her capture, and she wished she could tell him that it wasn't his fault or anyone else's for that matter. She wished she could tell the ones she cared most about that she loved them.

And then there was Peter. If she could have just one more hour with him so that he could finally know how she feels, she could face her death. Just the thought of Peter put a slight smile on her face, despite the circumstances. All the memories they made the past two months flashed through her mind.

Twang_--the arrow flew through the air, striking the target. She took a few seconds to consider the position of the arrow with respect to the bull's-eye, making the appropriate adjustments in her head. She strung the next arrow, pulling it back to rest next to her cheek._

_"Might I join you?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. _

_Aurora smiled a little, releasing the arrow that struck the bull's-eye perfectly. She turned to look at Peter standing right next to her, bow and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back._

_"Of course you can. I didn't know you knew how to shoot."_

_"I don't shoot very often, but I saw you down here, and I thought that I might join you." _

_He strung his own bow and released the arrow. The arrow whizzed past the target, missing it by several inches. _

_"And I am apparently in need of practice," Peter said, lowering his bow and examining the shot he just took. He turned to look at Aurora, who was trying her hardest not to smile. Her laughing eyes betrayed her though, revealing her amusement at his sad attempt. _

_"It was a practice shot," Peter said. _

_Aurora smiled._

_"Try again," she said._

_Peter restrung his bow, got into position, and let the arrow fly. The arrow missed the target by even more than before. Peter dropped the bow in disappointment; he was hoping to be a little closer than that last shot, if not hit the target. He could hear Aurora trying to stifle her giggles next to him, her small hand trying to cover up her smiling lips. Peter set his face into a playful scowl, turning his body completely toward the princess._

_"Are you laughing at me?"_

_"Of course not. I would never laugh at you." She smiled, continuing to laugh at him._

_"But you are," he replied, dropping his façade and laughing along with her. "You can't laugh at me, I'm High King," he joked, puffing out his chest. They both continued to laugh at his embarrassing archery skills._

_"Here, I'll help you," Aurora said, closing the space between them. "Now, take your position."_

_He strung his bow again, positioning himself._

_"Well, that explains your problem, your form is all wrong," Aurora commented, circling around him and stopping at his back. "Your elbow is too high"--she softly pushed it down to where it needed to be--"and you need to loosen your grip on your arrow." She placed her hand on top of his, gently loosening his fingers. "Now, aim a little higher than where you want your arrow to hit."_

_She moved her whole body closer to his so she could see where he intended to hit. Their cheeks were so close that she could feel his warmth. Where their bodies touched (which wasn't in many places because of proper etiquette), she could feel his muscles tense._

_She raised her lips to his ear so she could whisper her final instructions, "Let go."_

_The arrow flew through the air. It didn't strike quite where he intended, but, nevertheless, hit the target._

_Peter threw his arms around Aurora, embracing her in excitement, forgetting everything. They held each other for a few seconds before realizing what had happened and stepping awkwardly away from each other._

_"Very good job, Peter," Aurora congratulated him, beaming. "However," she reached around him and tool an arrow out of his quiver, holding it in front of his face, "are you ready to try again?"_

_They had shot until sunset, walking down to the beach for their nightly talk when done._

_"Where did you learn how to shoot like that?" Peter asked, intrigued by her talent._

_"In Archenland, it is tradition for the royal family to have skills learned at certain ages. When you turn seven, you learn how to ride, and when you turn nine, you learn some type of warfare. Father didn't think it would be appropriate for a young lady to learn how to wield a sword--thought I was taught a little, just enough to defend myself--so I was taught archery."_

_"So, if I am correct, you have been shooting for… um--" Peter stopped, figuring mentally "--eight, almost nine years."_

_Peter was quite impressed with her perseverance and mastery of one skill. _

_"You said 'tradition,'" he said, recalling her words. "What other traditions do you have?" he asked, eager to hear more about the Archenland royal family. _

_"Well, we get certain gifts for certain birthdays, and then there are our titles and colors."_

_"Your titles, I've wanted to ask you about them. Yours is…?"_

_"Daughter of the Sun."_

_"And _Aurora _means 'dawn.'" _

_"Yes, and _Lune _like 'lunar,' and he is Son of the Moon."_

_The connections between name and title began to click in Peter's head._

_"And what is your father's title?"_

_Peter had only ever heard of Archenland's ruler as being King Brim and nothing else._

_"My father's name is Brim, and he was given the title of Father of Fire when he was crowned king. Before that, he was the Son of Fire."_

_This connection took Peter a few minutes._

_"Brim, as in brimstone, like fire and brimstone."_

_Aurora nodded, assuring him that he had gotten in right._

_"Is everyone's name nature-inspired in Archenland, or just the royal families?" Peter asked._

_"Archenland's people have always felt one with their surroundings, so many of them have natural names. My mother did, for example."_

_"And what was her name?" Peter asked, hoping that his simple question hadn't crossed the emotional border._

_"Lily. Queen Lily, she was given the title of Mother of the Field when she married my father."_

_"You said colors earlier," Peter said after a moment. "What colors?"_

_"The colors that correspond with our title. You weren't here the first day, when Lune, my father, and I arrived or you would have seen them," she explained. "When the Archenland royal family is presented, whether it be to other royal families or to our people, we wear certain colors that correspond with our titles. I always wear gold"_

_"Like the sun," Peter commented, stringing the two together._

_" Lune wears dark blue and silver, the colors of the night sky and Father always wears red."_

_"What color did your mother wear?" Peter asked._

_Aurora smiled at the memory of her._

_"She wore white, the purest white. I remember it was almost a hassle every time she needed a new presenting gown made. She could never find fabric that was clean, pure white."_

_"Does your family have any more traditions?" asked Peter._

_"Not really," she smiled, "but I want to hear about your family. Do you have any traditions or special titles?"_

_Peter took a few moments to consider. _

_"Not exactly in the way that you do."_

_Peter spent the next half-hour explaining how he and his brother had been named after their grandfathers. This opened up a whole new line of questions, and he and Aurora spent the rest of the evening talking about their families, holidays, birthdays, and anything else. When they realized how late it was, they decided it was time to get back to the castle. Peter, like every night, offered his hand to help Aurora up, but this night, he forgot to let go, and Aurora didn't mind._

* * *

''

Peter unwrapped the cloth and looked at the silver comb for the fifth time that evening. The cloth had been found about three hours after they found her comb. The fabric had been covered up with dirt, only a small edge visible. The scrap of silk, which Peter had recognized to be from her ball gown, had shown them the way when they came upon a fork in the road. He and Lune had rode until twilight, stopping to make camp near a stream.

Peter moved his fingers over the comb, caressing the smooth silver. The memories from the night of the ball flooded back to him. He remembered how beautiful she had looked that night. She had sparkled like the stars in the sky, and he wanted nothing more than to be near her all night. He remembered how perfect she had felt that night in his arms as they danced and what he wanted to tell her in the courtyard that night.

"Don't worry, Peter, we'll find her," Lune comforted him, throwing another log on the fire.

Peter wrapped up the comb and placed it back in his tunic, right on top of his heart.

"You don't find it interesting, though?" Peter replied. "She's your sister, and yet you're comforting me. I've only known her for two months."

"But time does not mean anything when it comes to matters of the heart," Lune stated, sitting next to Peter. "Peter, I've seen you two together. I've watched you out on the archery range or out riding. And some nights I pass by my window and see you and Aurora down at the beach. She laughs with you, really laughs, laughs in a way I haven't seen her laugh in years. She's happy when she's with you. Truly happy.

"And don't think that you have escaped my notice either, Peter," Lune continued. "I've seen the way you look at her when you think no one else is watching, like the way you stared at her through the window as she read her book that day we were supposed to be discussing new military advances. You smile when she smiles, you laugh when she laughs. There is only one conclusion I can make."

Peter looked up at Lune, who was smiling at him.

"Do you love her?"

* * *

Please review! My goal it to get over 100 reviews and that will only happen with your help. Please let me know what you think and if you would like this story to continue into another.


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: So here's the new chapter as promised

A/N: So here's the new chapter as promised. The next chapter may take a little longer though I promised it will be worth it, it will probably be one of the most important chapters in this story. And it's taking me forever to write because I want to make it perfect...which hopefully I can do. Thanks to everyone who review, the response was amazing. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 12: The Castle

"Edmund, please," Lucy begged, her best pout on her face.

"No," he said, exasperated. "Peter wants you to stay here."

"But Peter doesn't understand what an asset we are," Susan began, trying to make her case. "Lucy can help the field doctors, and I can lead the archers."

Edmund finished securing his packs on the back of Philip before turning back to his sisters, who had joined him in the front courtyard.

"Peter already has Lucy's juice, and someone else can lead the archers," he said, thinking that the discussion was over.

"But no one else is as keen an archer as I, and Lucy can do more than administer the juice. She can also clean and dress wounds, and she is a real comfort to the men."

Lucy nodded frantically in agreement.

"Please, Edmund?" she begged.

"Please?" Susan echoed.

"No, and that's final."

A great _caw_ sounded from the sky, and the three royals looked up to see Peter's hawk descending on them. The bird landed on Edmund's saddle long enough for him to remove the message and took off again for the sky.

"'Dear Edmund,'" he read out loud so his sisters could hear, "'leave as soon as you get this message, we need you to be here when we lead the rescue attempt. Lucky for us, Aurora has left a few markers so we know that we are going in the right way. Go north up the beach and follow the path. About six miles in you'll come to a fork, go right, not left'--Did you get that, Orieus?"

The huge centaur beside Edmund had a map out before them, highlighting the path they were to take.

"There's no fork, Sire," Orieus replied, a questioning look on his face.

"That's because no one ever goes that way," Lucy chimed in. "Peter said it leads to a few cliffs and nothing else."

"Aurora marked it, so we must go that way," Susan said. "Come on, Ed, finish the letter."

"'We'll be waiting for you where we set up camp. Hope to see you all tomorrow. Love, Peter.'"

"Is that it?" Susan asked.

"Wait, no, there's a P.S.--'Tell Susan and Lucy they can come, we still don't know what we're fighting or where. I think we might need their assistance.'"

Edmund looked up to find both Lucy and Susan smirking.

"Fine, I guess you're going. But we are leaving in ten minutes whether you are ready or not."

"No need, Edmund," Lucy said before letting out a loudwhistle.

Two stable boys came into the courtyard with Susan and Lucy's horses behind them, packed and ready.

Susan and Lucy thanked the boys, put on the riding cloaks that were conveniently placed on their saddles and mounted their horses.

"So you were hoping he would change his mind?" Edmund asked his sisters.

"Not hoping," Susan began, "but guessed he would."

Lucy nodded in agreement.

"We better get going then. Orieus, are the troops ready?" Edmund asked.

"They are outside the gates, ready to leave."

"Good. Mr. Tumnus, please keep an eye on the castle," Edmund said over his shoulder, prepared to leave. "Hopefully, we'll see you all soon."

It was midday, and Peter and Lune weren't any closer to their destination. Or, at least, they didn't think they were. They had risen early that morning, the bright sun not allowing them to stay in bed longer than they would have liked. Peter wrote a quick letter to his siblings while Lune restarted the fire for breakfast. After they and their horses were fed and watered, and the camp cleaned up so it looked like no one was ever there, they left.

They continued following the path, being reassured that they were on the right track by Aurora's left slipper hanging off the high branch of a tree. Peter knocked it down with an arrow, his aim much better after his lessons with Aurora. The slipper now rested in front of him, inspiring him to keep going.

Peter and Lune rode in almost complete silence. Peter didn't really know how Lune would react to his feelings about Aurora. He found it almost hard to admit his feelings out loud to himself. Lune's reaction had been strange; he was neither happy nor mad, but indifferent.

"Just be gentle with her," Lune had said, not making eye contact with Peter. "Her heart is fragile."

The next day, everything seemed back to normal between them, or as normal as things could be under the circumstances. They didn't talk, not because they were upset with each other, but because they were both too determined. They both just wanted to find Aurora and get her back to Cair Paravel in one piece.

An hour had passed after finding the slipper when Peter broke the silence.

"Lune, I think we're here," he said uncertainly, climbing off his horse.

Lune followed his lead. There were no signs, and the path seemed to continue on indefinitely. However, there was a hum of noise coming from somewhere near.

"Let's leave the horses here and try to find where they are," Peter said.

Peter and Lune tied their reigns to a nearby tree, both agreeing that it would be better on foot.

They started down the path they were previously on, going from tree to tree so that they would be hidden. The noise grew louder as they continued on, assuring them they were near.

"Oh, my," was all Peter said when he spotted what laid below.

In the middle of a deep tree-covered valley was a rundown castle. It was much smaller than Cair Paravel, only about one-third its size, therefore making it look more like a manor than a castle. The castle itself was rectangular, made of dark gray stone, and two towers of different heights rose toward the sky from on top of the building.

"Typical," Peter sighed.

"What's typical?"

The princess is always kept in the highest room of the tallest tower," Peter replied.

"And how is that typical?" Lune asked.

"That's what they always do in fairytales," Peter explained, but Lune still looked confused. "Sleeping Beauty? Rapunzel? Any of those ring a bell?"

"Sorry… no," Lune answered.

"Right, they're fairytales in my… old world. Anyway, the kidnapped princess was always kept there, and it's my best bet that she's there now."

"But we can't take all these guards by ourselves." Lune quickly counted the ones he could see. "Sixteen on the outside, and I suspect there are more within, and probably a small regiment in the back yard."

"You're right," Peter agreed. "You don't just steal a princess and expect to keep her with less than twenty guards. We better wait for Edmund to arrive with the army."

"Well, at least we know where my sister is," Lune began. "Let's go back and make camp."

They went back and got their horses before searching for a remote place to make camp. They settled on a small patch of land near a stream and set up the small tent from the back of Lune's horse. An hour later, when everything was settled, Lune and Peter spread out multiple pieces of parchment, drawing up battle plans and diagrams of he castle.

"When should Edmund and the troops arrive?" Lune asked, as they tried to plan out their attack.

"Edmund was supposed to leave as soon as he received my letter this morning. They should be traveling a little faster than we did. The centaurs will carry the dwarfs, the fauns and the satyrs will run, and Edmund, Susan, and Lucy will be on horseback. Hopefully, they will be here by midday tomorrow."

"Then, we'll plan to attack the next day at dawn. That way, we can move into position under the cover of night."

For the rest of the day they continued planning out the attack until every detail was planned out.

_Peter couldn't take his eyes off Aurora as she watched the night sky. That day had been perfect, in his opinion. After breakfast that morning, he and Aurora had quietly snuck off to the nearest town to spend the afternoon. He loved watching her face light up at all the different shops. She loved the fabric shop where every wall was covered with different fabrics. She rubbed her hands over as many different fabrics as she could. Aurora ordered yards and yards of fabric while graciously praising the owner of the shop and the designer, an elderly satyr woman. Aurora promised to send a messenger from Anvard for her fabric as soon as she returned to Archenland, and soon after that, they left._

_The market was busy by the time they left, and they weaved in and out of shoppers, stopping to look at some of the booths that were set up. They walked past Mr. Rabbit's fresh vegetables, an excited squirrel's arrangement of golden nuts, and the staring eyes of a faun's fish. Eager to get out of the hordes of creatures, they slipped into the nearest shop, the silversmith's. Peter had visited this shop many different times whenever he needed his crown adjusted or if he needed anything made for a special occasion. Aurora, however, was extremely excited. Everything in the shop fascinated her, from the smallest chains to a silver tea set. Peter, of course, wanting to be an excellent host, offered to buy her something--anything she wanted. She refused, just as he knew she would. But he pressed on, and she finally agreed to let him purchase for her a small sun-shaped comb._

"_For the Daughter of the Sun," he smiled, giving her her new comb after paying the faun. _

"_It's beautiful!" She took the comb and pulled back a few of her curls, securing them. "Thank you."_

_Peter couldn't help but smile, knowing that she was happy._

_The comb was still in her hair that night as they sat on the beach. Their perfect evening topped off their perfect day. And now Peter wanted to ask her the thing he had wanted to ask all day._

"_Aurora?"_

"_Mmm…"_

"_You know that my birthday ball is coming up, and I was wondering if you will allow me to escort you that evening?"_

_Aurora removed her eyes from the sky and turned to look at Peter, smiling._

"_I would love to."_

"You have this all planned out already, High King Peter," Orieus commented, surveying the map of the attack in front of him.

The kings and queens of Narnia, the prince of Archenland, and the Narnian general were all gathered around a high table littered with parchment.

"We had nothing to do yesterday," Lune replied as Peter prepared to give the full details of his plan.

"We will attack with thirty of your best, Orieus. The others will be waiting for a signal if we need backup. I want the best archers here." Peter pointed to the highest point on the hill. "They'll watch our backs and keep anyone from sneaking up on us. Back here, Lucy and the doctors will set up a field hospital. Orieus? Who are the fastest griffins?"

"Archemis is the fastest, but you've already sent him to look for King Brim. The next would be Conall and Lann."

"Order them to fly over the castle and keep an eye on our army. Any fallen or wounded they see, they are to carry back for treatment. Hopefully, this will decrease our number of casualties. I want the rest of the griffins to fly over, carrying dwarves that will be shooting arrows. Edmund, I want you to stay close to Susan."

"Peter," Edmund began, "I'm fifteen. I think I can fight by myself."

"Ed. I want you and Susan to be ready to go in to rescue Aurora as soon as we secure the entrance. Find her, and get her out as soon as you can, then take her back to the camp."

"But what if she's…." Edmund didn't finish, but they all knew what he meant.

"Get her out anyway. Even her body doesn't belong in captivity. Orieus, go inform the troops of our plan, and pick your best. Make sure everyone is fed and rested, we attack at dawn."

Another day had passed, Aurora knew. She could see the light under the door get brighter and brighter and then dim, until nothing but pitch black. Every possible thought had gone through her mind, everything she wasn't going to get to do, every life changing moment she would never experience. She had cried until her tears ran out and then gave up on life. She said her final goodbyes in her head, hoping that, somehow, they could hear her.

_Goodbye, Edmund. Goodbye, Susan and Lucy_. A single tear rolled down her cheek. _Goodbye, Father, goodbye, Lune. Goodbye, Peter._

The lock clicked, the door swung open.

_I love you more than you could ever know._

Please review!!


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Yay, I updated! Sorry this took so long but this is a very important chapter and I wanted to get it right. Hopefully I did. Thanks for all that reviews, I'm almost to the goal of 100! I'll try to have the new chapter up soon, but it may take a little longer that usual. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 13: A Plan Revealed**

The locked clicked. The door swung open.

"You," Aurora said against the cloth.

Ceridwen stood only feet from her, a smug expression on her face.

"Yes, me," she said with a wicked grin. "Now, let's get that thing off you."

Ceridwen closed the space between her and Aurora, pulling out a dagger and cutting off the gag. It fell free to the floor, allowing Aurora to speak clearly once more.

"Better?" Ceridwen asked before returning across the room.

Aurora would have thanked her if she wasn't completely terrified and completely confused.

"Father," Ceridwen called out the still-open door, "you're keeping our guest waiting."

"Lord Deberon?" Aurora asked shakily, finally finding her voice. She would have known that familiar face anywhere. He had been one of the king's advisors for as long as she could remember. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, not knowing if she wanted to hear the answer.

"No, no, no, not yet. That comes later. Let's start at the beginning, say, nine years ago." As he spoke, he circled around her, stopping to emphasize certain words.

Aurora thought back to nine years ago. How old had she been? Seven… eight? And her mother had died.

"No," she said softly, hoping that the conclusion she had come to wasn't true.

"You see, Aurora," Lord Deberon continued, clearly not noticing that her world was crashing around her, "your father and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye for the past few years. Your father just wanted to keep Archenland a country everyone wants to walk all over, and I saw Archenland as the powerful country it could be. The White Witch was the perfect opportunity. Sure, the land would be frosty for a while, but at least we would possess the power I craved for Archenland. I thought I had your father convinced that day you were all out touring the country, however, your mother poisoned him against my position. She had to be dealt with."

"So, you killed her."

The smile that followed chilled Aurora to the bone.

"I must confess it was much easier than I thought. You and her were playing that stupid game, and you hid in the forest, bringing her to me. So, I killed the hunter and shot your mother through the heart and watched her die in her own daughter's arms."

Aurora's heart broke as she realized it really was her fault after all. She now had the proof she needed.

"Unfortunately, my plan backfired. Instead of joining with the White Witch, your father added more security to protect the people from her. For the past few years, I've been gathering followers, mostly outcast Narnians expecting me to resurrect their queen. But then I realized that I didn't need the White Witch for Archenland to gain power, I just needed the royal family to get out of my way.

"So I've been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to put my plan into action. And then, about three months ago, it came--the royal family was visiting Narnia. I would have them killed while they were in Narnia, leaving their deaths on the Narnians' heads and making me commander of the country. We, of course, would invade Narnia because of their"--he placed his hand dramatically on his chest, choking back fake tears--"ruthless murder of our royal family. And then, I'll have two countries.

"But when my first plan was ruined--apparently, you don't sleep when you're in the forest--I had to form a different plan. Then, I realized what an advantage this could be. I could kill two birds--I mean, two royal families--with one stone.

"A kidnapping was obviously necessary. The perfect opportunity presented itself: we hear word of the king's birthday party, a perfect place for someone to get snatched. We chose to kidnap the little queen, but then, my daughter noticed something I would have never expected, something that made our plan a little bit better. She saw the emotional connection between you and the king. So she quickly reconfigured the plan. Luckily, she has my reasoning skills," he added, stopping his pacing momentarily, "and, luckily, everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Ceridwen played off your emotions perfectly, making you think that she was to marry the man you are clearly in love with, which, sent you out one of the doors in a crying rage, where my men were waiting to knock you out."

Everything he had just said replayed in Aurora's head, allowing her to process it all.

A moment of relief swept over her before turning into sheer terror.

"But how does this play into our genius plan?" Lord Deberon asked, regaining Aurora's attention. "Naturally, we wanted the others to follow, so we dragged you up the beach, making the sand look as disturbed as possible. We even took a few of your items, leaving them to guide whoever followed. And it's worked. My spies informed me this afternoon that the High King and your brother are on the road coming here and no doubt, his siblings are following. Oh, yes, and your father's coming too, they sent a griffin for him. Everyone's taken the bait… you. They think they're coming to save you, but they're really walking into a trap.

"But wait, I forgot to tell you how this change in my plans will give me three countries instead of two. If I am to kill two royal families, I must have someone to blame. And I picked the giants."

"The giants?" Aurora asked, confused.

"Yes, the giants. My dear Aurora, haven't you figured out where you are? We've left you in here for two days, I would have thought you would have figured it out by now."

For the first time since being placed in captivity, she looked around the room. The ceiling was high, too high for a normal castle, and the door was large enough for three men, stacked one on top of the other, to pass through.

"We're in a giant manor, Aurora, a few miles over the border. And here is where I, the trusted king's advisor, who is diligently searching for the missing royal family, will find them dead, along with the Narnian royals.

"The two countries, in revenge of their monarchs' death, will combine under me against the giants. They won't have a chance against two of the best armies the world has ever seen, and then, I'll have three countries. I will be the most powerful man in the land."

"What about your men who know the truth?" Aurora asked after processing his entire plan.

"Oh, them. I'll send them off a cliff or something for their queen's sake. Same for any of the men the Narnians bring. Everyone who knows the truth will die."

He had lied to the men fighting for him, promising them that he will revive their queen, and he was going to kill them. And not only them, but the ones that Peter brought to rescue her. Many were going to die, too many from both sides of the spectrum--good and bad. Only he and his daughter were going to walk away untouched, the rest would be dead.

Aurora had decided to face her death she knew was inevitable. But the deaths of others**--**of men and women who were husbands and wives, fathers and mothers; of the people she loved most in this world, her father, her brother… of Peter. If Aurora had any hope of survival, it quickly diminished. She wished that they would leave her alone until it was time to carry out their horrid plan, but Lord Deberon wasn't done.

"The only problem I have now," he began, a sickening smirk still plastered on his face, "is who to kill first. I'm thinking the little queen. Don't worry, I'll make it quick and as pain-free as possible. Then, I'm thinking the younger brother and the other sister. Your father will be next. He'll probably make a big, dramatic speech about how, though he will be gone, his spirit will live on, and none of his people will succumb under my authority, blah, blah, blah. After watching his own father die, your brother will follow, leaving only you and the High King.

"I must admit, I'm getting a little cruel now. I'm going to make you watch me kill him, your _love_,before I take your life."

He took a very long breath.

"Now, I'm done. I think I'll leave you alone until my brilliant plan comes into play. Goodbye, Aurora."

Lord Deberon left the room, leaving only Aurora and Ceridwen.

Ceridwen moved from her place across the room until she was inches away from Aurora.

"Goodbye, dearie," she sneered, rubbing either side of Aurora's face with the back of her hand. The ring on her hand dug into Aurora's skin, forming cuts across her cheeks.

"One more thing," she said, reaching toward Aurora's head.

Aurora could feel her hair being pulled and tugged, a few strands being ripped from her head.

Ceridwen put Aurora's crown on her own head.

"You won't be needing this anymore."

* * *

Please Review!


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Well, today's my birthday and I this is my present to you, a new chapter. Hope you enjoy it! I should have the next one up in about a week. The end is coming on part one, there will only be 17 chapters total and I can't wait to wrtie the rest. Enjoy and have a great day!!

Chapter 14: The Battle Begins

The sun was rising and everyone was in place. Peter was situated at the edge of the forest with Lune, Edmund, Orieus and Susan by his side.

"Is everything ready, Orieus?" the High King asked, not even looking at the centaur. He was too focused on the goals of the day, getting in and out with Aurora. Everything was planned, and he hoped it ran smoothly.

"Everyone is ready, Sire, and waiting for your signal," the general replied.

Peter nodded halfheartedly, going over the plan in his head once more.

The sun had completely risen over the horizon, signaling the beginning of their plan. Without a word, Susan drew her bow and quickly brought down the tower guards one by one. As soon as the other guards realized what was going on, Peter let out an enormous cry.

"Charge!" he yelled, urging his horse forward.

Orieus and Lune galloped left, and Peter and Edmund wentright, taking out the guards in their way. Susan rode up the middle, taking out two more guards on her way.

Soon, the real battle began. The guards from the sides of the castlehad heard the commotion and ran around to the front, swords at the ready.

The Narnians were now greatly outnumbered. Peter swung off his horse and ran toward the oncoming crowd.

"Susan… NOW!" he yelled back at his sister.

She obeyed at once, whipping out her horn and blowing it as hard as she could.

Orieus's best began galloping and running out of the forest, ready to fight. The two forces quickly met, looking like a wave crashing against a rock.

The sound of men shouting and swords clashingfilled the air. Peter's only concern was securing the door so that he could send Edmund and Susan in to get Aurora. Finally, he had his chance. The door was unprotected, the guards otherwise occupied with the battle.

"Go, Ed!" he yelled, as loud as he could, ducking under the swing of another sword.

Edmund quickly finished off the goblin he was fighting and grabbed Susan's arm, dragging her off toward the door. Two more guards met them on their way. Edmund blocked the first blow, careful to step on his toes, before slicing him low across the shins, leaving him alive, but defenseless. Susan took her bow and swung it as hard as possible. The faun was knocked out cold and joined the dwarf on the ground.

Together, they sprinted to the door, Susan pulling Edmund along. They quietly snuck into the castle, careful not to alert any guards left inside. The first hallway was empty.

"Peter said we need to find the stairs," Edmund whispered. "He thinks Aurora will be up in one of the towers."

"Which way should we go?" Susan asked, looking down both empty sides of the hallway. This was the part of the plan that no one knew what to expect from. The inside of the castle was a complete mystery to them. They didn't knew how many guards would be inside, or how many rooms there were, or where exactly Aurora would be, though, Peter had a fairytale-like theory.

"Let's go this way," Edmund replied, motioning his head to the left.

They crossed the hall and snuck down to the end. Edmund peeked around the corner to check if anyone was coming.

"It's clear, let's go."

Susan drew her bow, and Edmund drew his sword, just in case. They continued down the next hall, which was much longer than the first. It was lined on each side with doors and, luckily, none opened. They didn't know what they would do if they met any guards. When they reached the corner, Edmund again checked to see if the coast was clear, and Susan kept lookout.

"Sue, I think I know where Aurora is," he said calmly, allowing his sister to see around the corner as well.

Halfway down the hall was a door, and on each side of the door was a Cyclops.

"I think you're right," Susan agreed, settling against the wall. "Well, at least there are only two guards."

"Yes, but they are big and strong, and I don't want to take any chances. Do you think you could bring them both down from here?"

Susan nodded.

"If I get my aim right, they should be down with two quick plucks of my string," she said, carefully aiming to bring the first down. She was just about to let the first arrow go when the door across the hall opened, and a gray-haired man stepped out.

"Do not leave this door," he said sternly. "We don't want our guest taking advantage of our little distraction."

The two Cyclopes grunted in response.

"Come along, dear, we have more royals to gather up."

He turned and went down the other direction, a raven-headed woman following him.

"Wait a few minutes until we know they're out," Edmund whispered to Susan, who repositioned herself.

"Now."

Susan let the first arrow go and the Cyclops fell with a thud. Before the other guard realized what had happened, he joined his friend on the floor.

Susan and Edmund waited a few seconds to make sure no one had heard the noise of two fully grown Cyclopes hitting the floor. Assured the no one was coming, they rushed to the door.

"It's locked," Susan sighed.

Edmund hit the lock with his sword. It broke after one swing and fell to the floor.

"Not anymore," he replied. "Let's go."

He turned the knob, and they both mentally prepared themselves for what laid behind the door.

* * *

Aurora could hear that something was going on outside and could only guess that they had finally come to "rescue" her. Her heart dropped a little as she remembered what would happen next. Everyone was going to die. She heard two thuds, followed by a quick clink. The door began to open, and Aurora thought her heart has stopped for a moment. She never expected Susan and Edmund to be behind it.

"Aurora!" Susan exclaimed in relief. "We've been so worried about you!" she said, running to the chained princess.

Aurora couldn't believe they were there. She expected them to all be brought in like she was, flanked with guards. But they were there, free, and here to rescue her.

A few tears of joy escaped her eyes. She was going to be all right, she was going to live.

"Stay still, Aurora," Edmund ordered, raising his sword above his head. With one swift move, he cut the chains holding her arms up. They fell to her sides, and she could feel the blood rushing to her fingers.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Susan asked, hugging Aurora tightly for a few seconds before looking her over for major damage.

Aurora nodded, unable to talk.

"All we have to do is get you outside. There, one of our griffins will take you to the camp, where Lucy and the doctors will are waiting for you."

"Are you all right to walk?" Edmund asked.

Aurora nodded again.

"Okay, follow us."

They led Aurora through the halls and out the door.

Everywhere, people were fighting. Susan and Edmund pulled her along the side of the castle, trying to avoid the fight.

Aurora scanned the crowd for the others: her father, Lune, and Peter. She spotted her brother up on the hill fighting a large minotaur. She couldn't find her father, and she hoped that he was still far away. Then, she saw Peter, and her heart stopped again. He was lockedin a grueling battle with Ceridwen.

* * *

Peter moved his shield to protect himself from Ceridwen's next blow. Her sword met his shield, and the impact caused him to stumble to the ground. She prepared for the final blow, but he swung his leg hard, knocking her sword out of her hands. Peter leapt to his feet, and Ceridwen turned on him with her recovered sword. She swung once… twice, but he easily blocked them both. He pushed her sword with his own, hoping to throw her off balance. Ceridwen never stumbled, but swung hard, almost catching him off guard. Peter jumped back, the sword missing him by mere inches. He threw his sword forward but missed. Ceridwen swung again, this time aiming lower than before. And this time, Peter was unable to move.

* * *

Please,please review...they make me happy!:)


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: Next chapter...yay!! Two left...yay!! Hope you like it. The next one should be up in a week.

* * *

Chapter 15: The Battle Ends

Aurora watched Peter fall to the ground. Everything around her seemed to move in slow motion, every soldier running, every sword clash seemed unimportant. Her world only included Peter and her. She could see him on the ground, eyes closed, abdomen bleeding.

_He's dead_, was the only thought that crossed her mind.

But she couldn't give up, she couldn't stand by and watch someone else she loved die. She couldn't, she wouldn't, she refused to. Something within Aurora snapped. She would no longer stand by and watch her loved ones be ripped from her life. She wasn't going to allow anything to tear her up inside. Peter had freed her from her shell, one she refused to return to.

With a great show of strength, Aurora hit the nearest soldier, knocking him out, and wrestled the sword from his hand. She was going to fight back.

Ceridwen was still standing where she had defeated Peter, a smug look on her face. Aurora knew that was where she needed to go, to wipe the smirk off her face.

Aurora began running, trying to get to Ceridwen as fast as possible. She could feel Edmund and Susan trying to stop her, but she freed herself from their grips (willing to use much more power if needed) and ran through the crowd toward Ceridwen. Two guards tried to stop her, but she pushed through. Aurora dashed up the hill, stopping when she saw Peter's body. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her heart stopped in her own chest when she realized that his chest was rising and falling, barely.

_He's alive_, she thought, _HE'S ALIVE!_ A few tears of joy escaped her eyes, and a small smile spread across her face. For a moment, she forgot everything around her. All that mattered was that Peter was alive.

"Awww," Ceridwen cried from across his body. "It's almost romantic that you're going to die next to your _love_. Too bad he doesn't love you." She smirked.

Aurora stepped over Peter, pulling herself up to her full height.

"Too bad that's not going to happen," Aurora replied defiantly, ripping her crown off Ceridwen's head.

Ceridwen retaliated by slapping her clear across the face. Aurora ignored the sting rising in her cheek and pushed Ceridwen away from _her _Peter. They both took up their fighting positions, and Aurora silently prayed that she could remember all her instructor had taught her.

Ceridwen swung first, but Aurora was lucky enough to block it, getting a taste of how strong Ceridwen was. For a moment, Aurora began to panic, beginning to think that she wouldn't make it out alive.

_No, Aurora, you will NOT give up._

With newfound confidence, Aurora leapt at Ceridwen, bringing the sword down from above her head. Ceridwen blocked it with her own sword, pushing Aurora off to the side. Aurora let the force spin her as if they were engaged in a graceful dance. She aimed her sword low, hoping to swipe at Ceridwen's ankles. Ceridwen was too quick for her, though, and jumped over the sword. Their swords met in the air, Aurora blocking Ceridwen's blow. Aurora pushed Ceridwen back with enough force that Ceridwen stumbled back a few feet.

They circled around each other, each wondering who would strike next. Aurora did, but her blow was blocked. The fight was becoming faster, each trying to catch their opponent off guard and the other blocking.

Aurora thrust her sword forward, and Ceridwen caught her wrist and, getting in front of Aurora, threw her elbow back.

Aurora moved her head, the elbow grazing her cheek. She ducked under her own arm, forcing her and Ceridwen's arms up. Aurora used all her strength to flip Ceridwen over her shoulder.

Ceridwen jumped up as soon as she hit the ground, turning on Aurora. They continued to fight, each one's moves matching the other's. Ceridwen threw her sword across Aurora's thigh, cutting deep into her muscle.

Shaking, Aurora fell to the ground, blood rushing down her leg. She could feel Ceridwen standing over her, preparing to finish her off. In one final movement, Aurora swung her sword upward. She watched Ceridwen's eyes jerk open when she realized the sword had hit her, slicing across her stomach. She fell to the ground, her hands trying to conceal the blood coming from her abdomen.

Aurora stood up, bracing herself with her sword and stood over the woman who had tried to take her life and the lives of the ones she loved. Ceridwen closed her eyes, taking her last breath. Her battle was over.

Aurora walked over to Peter's side and collapsed on her knees.

He was still breathing, much to her relief. She swept the fallen hair out of his eyes, stroking the perfection that was his face. Smiling, the rest of her body fell to the ground, and, once again, her world went black.

* * *

Please review!


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's two o'clock in the morning and I'm giddy as a school girl, which, if you ask my beta is kinda scary. Hope enjoy it. The next chapter will be the last...,(

* * *

Chapter 16: Aftermath

The breeze coming through the window blew Aurora's hair across her face, tickling her nose. She wasn't fully awake but wasn't asleep and didn't know which she would rather be. She didn't know where she was. For a moment, she thought she was dead; she was too comfortable to still be among the living. But the increasing pain in her right thigh brought her into reality.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, watching the glow from the candlelight flicker. Aurora began to sit up in the bed.

"Oh, Aurora!" someone cried, throwing themselves on top of her.

In a daze, Aurora patted the black, flowing hair that she realized was Susan's.

"Are you all right, are you in pain?" Susan asked, searching Aurora's face for the answer.

Aurora couldn't answer, her throat was too parched; she couldn't even speak. She grabbed her throat, hoping Susan would understand.

She did.

"Are you thirsty?"

Aurora nodded frantically, and Susan quickly filled her a glass from the pitcher sitting by the couch.

Aurora downed it in one gulp.

"What happened?" she asked, handing the glass back to Susan, who refilled it.

"You fainted. The doctor said it was because of the loss of blood, malnutrition, and overall exhaustion. He said you must have had a rush of pure adrenaline to fight Ceridwen. Conalltook you to our camp, where you were immediately treated. The doctor there was able to stitch up your leg, and he gave you a nutrition and a sleeping potion so your body could recuperate."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Two and a half days."

Aurora sat in silence for a few moments to allow everything to sink in.

"What time is it?" Aurora asked, noticing the pitch black darkness outside.

"I would guess around two."

"And you're still up."

"Someone's been sitting with you through the nights. Lucy did last night and I tonight."

"Lucy? How is she? How are you, how is everyone else?"

"She's fine, same with Edmund and me. Your brother has a few bruises and scrapes, and your father is sore."

"My father?"

"He arrived just about the time you fainted. Archemis, our griffin, dropped him right next to Lord Deberon. They fought, your father quickly disarmed him and made him surrender. Lord Deberon is now in one of our lower rooms, a little better than a dungeon, awaiting his trial."

"And Peter?"

Susan smiled, much to Aurora's surprise.

"He's fine. Lucy gave him a drop of potion, and he was ready to go back out. But we didn't let him. He came to visit you today, but you were… asleep."

_He's alive and all right._ She didn't know what she would do if he had died; to her, his life was more important than her own. Aurora quickly put the thoughts of death out of her mind. They weren't needed anymore.

"Are you in any pain right now?" Susan asked, refilling Aurora's glass a second time.

Aurora rubbed the wrapping on her thigh.

"A little but nothing I can't handle."

"Are you sure? I can go get the doctor, he's staying right down the hall, he could give you something for the pain."

"I promise you, I'm fine. I might need to in the morning, however. Right now, I'm just hungry."

"Of course, you must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat, what would you like?"

"Anything."

"I'll be right back," Susan said, walking out the door, leaving Aurora alone.

Eager to get out of bed, she slid her legs out from under the blanket, letting her feet touch down on the cold marble floor. She took her first step, afraid of the pain in her thigh. It did nothing less than catch on fire. Gasping, she clutched her leg but kept pushing herself toward her goal: the table with the water. The next step, the pain weakened a bit but still raged like a fire in her leg. She refilled her glass and went back to her bed, climbing in and getting comfortable. Just about the time she had settled in, Susan came in, balancing a tray with one hand and a fresh pitcher of water with the other.

"Here you are, Aurora. I didn't know what to get, so I got a little bit of everything," Susan said, placing the tray beside Aurora. On it was a small loaf of bread, a few slices of cold turkey, an apple, and some grapes.

Aurora began devouring the food (in the most ladylike way, of course), and Susan sat at the edge of Aurora's bed.

"The doctor stopped me on the way back to your room; apparently, I made too much noise. He asked me if we needed him. I told him no, but he insisted that he see you first thing in the morning. I told him he could come after you finish your bath. I thought you would like a nice, hot bath. I tried to clean what I could, but all I was able to do was wipe your arms and detangle a few sticks from your hair. Then, I'm sure your father and his advisors will want to meet with you."

"Why would they want to meet with me?" Aurora asked between bites.

"They want to hear your side of what happened to see if it matches with what Lord Deberon admitted to. Hopefully, they'll be able to try him tomorrow for crimes against both Narnia and Archenland. The next day, you'll be going back to Archenland."

"We're going home in two days?"

"Your father thought it would be best if he took you and Lune home, especially after what happened."

She only had two days left. Only two days left with Peter. She tried to look happy outwardly, but her heart was breaking on the inside.

Aurora finished eating and handed the tray back to Susan, along with her empty water glass.

"I'm still a little tired, I think I'm going to go back to sleep. You should rest too, Susan, don't stay up on my account."

Susan placed the tray off to the side and sat down on the couch.

"I guess I could rest for a while," she smiled, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Goodnight, Aurora."

"Goodnight, Susan," Aurora replied, flipping over and going back to sleep.

* * *

The hot water washed over Aurora's body as she climbed into her bath. Her only problem was that she was under strict ruling not to get her stitches wet. Aurora would have liked to completely submerge herself in the relaxing water but had opted for sitting up and draping her right leg over the edge of the bathtub, obeying the doctor. She scrubbed herself from head to toe, removing the physical evidence of what was now just a bad memory. She sat back in the bathtub to think, not ready to get out.

Aurora stayed in her bath until the water had turned cold and her fingers looked like dried berries. She dressed in her softest, simplest blue dress, happy to be dressed in something other than her demolished ball gown. She combed her wet hair and tried to ring out as much water as she couldbefore going back to her room, where the doctor was waiting.

"Hello, Your Highness, I'm Dr. Lehayim. I've been treating you while you were asleep. Please, sit," he said, motioning to the side of her bed.

She did, and the old satyr took a seat across from her.

"How are you feeling today?" Dr. Lehayim asked, checking her pulse.

"I guess I feel all right. My leg hurts quite a bit."

"That's to be expected. Your vitals look good, and you look like you have gotten your color back. You were deathly white when they first brought you to me, but you look much healthier now. Can you move your dress so I can see your leg?"

Aurora nervously looked up at Susan (who had stayed at Aurora's request). Susan nodded reassuringly, and Aurora pulled her dress up to expose her wrapped thigh.

The doctor unwrapped her leg and wiped off the dark paste underneath.

"To keep out any infections," he added when he saw her confused look.

Once the stitches were cleaned, he thoroughly inspected them.

"Some of my best work," he said, smiling up at Aurora. "Now, I need you to watch me redress them. You'll need to change dressings twice a day, once in the morning and right before you go to bed. I will give you enough supplies to last until you get back to Archenland, as well as the recipe to make the salve, it's a Narnian specialty."

He finished wrapping her leg and tied it off.

"Now, for your pain potion."

He gave her a spoonful of a thick red potion, which she gulped down.

"I have two bottles for you to have for the next few days and the trip back. Take one spoonful as needed. It should decrease the amount of pain you have to almost nothing. But be careful, you don't want to move around too much so that you do not rip open your stitches. You'll need one of your doctors to remove the stitches in two weeks. You'll have a scar, but it will fade a little with time. Luckily, you won't have any scars on your face where you were scratched.

Immediately, Aurora lifted her hand to her face, running it over the long scratches on each cheek. She had completely forgotten about them.

"And I'll advise you. If you're going to wear shoes, it's better if you would cover that big toe, the one where the nail was ripped off."

She had forgotten about that too.

"Well, I'm off. I'm sure there are many other people that wish to speak to you," the doctor said. Then, he packed up his supplies, bowed to both royals, and left the room.

"I'll go get your father now," Susan said, following him.

An hour later, Aurora had finished telling her story to her father and his advisors. Apparently, their stories seemed to match in most aspects, but their faces had grown white at hearing her account. She hadn't left out anything and had recounted every detail. Once they had what they needed, the advisors left, leaving her alone with her father.

They sat in silence for a few moments, King Brim staring at his daughter and Aurora staring at her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Aurora."

"What are you sorry about?"

"Everything. Being a terrible father, not noticing the signs that Lord Deberon wasn't good. The day your mother died, Lord Deberon had come to the camp to discuss a matter with me. He was trying to convince me that we needed to join the White Witch. For a moment, I considered it. I thought that it would be better for the people if I just gave her the country instead of having her take it by force. Your mother was my voice of reason. She told me I was insane for even considering it, and I was. That should have been my first indication that something wasn't right. I'm so sorry I didn't see this earlier, if I had, we might have bypassed this whole affair."

"It's all right, at least no one else was hurt. But you're wrong about one thing: you've been a great father. Sure, there were times you weren't there, but you're King. It takes a special kind of person to be both king and single parent, but you did it everyday. I love you."

King Brim got up and sat by his daughter, wrapping a loving arm around her.

"I love you too, darling, I love you too. And as much as I hate to say it, I have to go meet with my advisors about tomorrow, and I think that your brother would like to speak to you now."

He gave Aurora a quick kiss on her cheek and left.

Moments later, Lune peeked his head in.

"How are you, 'Rora?"

"I'm fine, Lu', yourself?"

"I'm all right now that you're safe."

Her brother, who had sat down beside her on the couch, pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Don't do that ever again, Aurora, please, don't do that ever again. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"I'm all right, Lune, I promise," she said, patting his back. "But I can't breathe, so, please, let me go."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly, letting go of her. "It scared me, that's all. I thought I might lose you forever."

Aurora smiled at her brother's concern.

"I'm fine now. I'm just glad that no one else got hurt. He wanted to kill us all, not just you, father, and me but the Pevensies too. I couldn't live with myself if he had hurt or killed you or them. You all risked your lives to save me. I remember when they told me they had spotted you and Peter coming to my rescue. I wanted so badly to tell you to go back. I knew I was going to die, but you didn't have to."

"We would have come even if you did. We were determined to get you out of there, Peter more than anyone."

"Peter?" Aurora tried not to look as happy as she felt on the inside.

"He's the one who discovered you were gone. He was trying to find you to explain something that had happened the night before at his party. He found your train on the back staircase and figured out that you had been kidnapped. I think he blames himself."

"He shouldn't. They would have gotten me or Lucy eventually."

"But what I can't understand is why he blames himself. I thought it was because he's High King, and we were visiting his country, but it seems to be much deeper than that. Aurora, what happened that night?"

"Ceridwen, Lord Deberon's daughter, was at Peter's party that night. She was sent to kidnap one of us. Peter had gone to get me something to drink, and when he came back, she grabbed him and kissed him, and I ran out the side gate, crying. That's where they found me."

"Well, that explains a lot. But tell me. Why would you care if that kiss was really a kiss?"

Aurora felt the burn of a blush creep into her cheeks.

"You care about him, don't you?" said Lune.

"Yes, very much."

"And you haven't told him, because…?"

"Because I have no intention to tell him at all."

"Why not?"

"What difference does it make if he knows? I tell him, he says he doesn't feel the same way, and I look like an idiot--not something I desire."

"Aurora, you can't use that as an excuse."

"It's not an excuse--"

"It is," Lune interrupted. "Aurora, if you hide behind fear of what could happen, you'll never know of what could be. If you love him--and I'm not saying that you do--but if you did, you shouldn't be afraid to tell him, even if he doesn't feel the same--which I'm not saying he doesn't, because he could. All I'm trying to say is just tell him."

"All right, I will," Aurora said, grabbing her journal. "Now, I just have to go find him."

* * *

Review!!


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Well, this is it, the end. I first would like to thank all of you who have been with this story from the beginning. You have inspired me to continue and I than you for that. Second, I would like to thank my betas: sweet blossom89 and Miluielwen, who work on the first chapters with me, and Kaylee, who betaed the last chapters. After this chapter, I am planning to take a short break from the world of Narnia, but never fear, I will be back with the second installment of this triology on October 1st of this year, so mark your calendars. ;)I also want to thank:

theinstantstar15, EdwardandBella4eva8101godsgracie12, I am Brooklyn, Narnialover,muzical, Rosalind Penderwick, Samalamadingdong  
brezzybrez, xosweetpeaxo, Mrs. Joe Jonas DJ DANGA,LOTRRanger, Irish Avalon, sweet cho14  
xcupcakex, lightning8star, DarcyJames,Jousting Elf with a Sabre, PetiteDiable,sweetheart, drama queen, Francienyc,iheartsupergirl, J.J.Taylor, PadfootCc,chicksadee, musafa, xSlytherclaWx,Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk, Hope and love, Appacio,somewhereiseverywhere, readcrazy, NotSupposedToBeHere,Miluielwen, Kat Kat B., Asie12,urbanfan4ever, Elanor Joy, Well-wisher,sweet blossom89, crimebuff, KidWithFace1692,Eilisan, Siobhaneya, aspirer

(I'm so sorry if I left someone out)

for reviewing. The encouraging words that you wrote help me keep writing. I hope to see you all back, reviewing, for my next story. And don't forget to review this time, I really want to know what you think.

Without further ado...the last chapter:

* * *

Chapter 17: Feelings Unfold

Aurora had sat in the library for almost two hours.

_He has to come in here at some point today… right?_ Aurora thought to herself, nervously re-crossing her legs. She had considered going to find him, but she knew that she would go back to her room instead to hide from what she almost done.

Aurora slid her fingers over the smooth journal, memorizing every inch of it. She knew she was doing the right thing in telling Peter how she felt. But could she do it? Did she have the strength to throw her heart out to be accepted or rejected--?

_The latter more likely._

She took a breath to try to settle her nerves. It didn't work. She opened her journal to the marked page and reread the lines. Once the last word was read, she closed the book and began tracing the sun on the cover.

A few more minutes passed. And then, she heard the door open. She looked up to see the one person she both did and didn't want to see--Peter.

Aurora quickly stood and curtsied slightly, trying to avoid eye contact with Peter.

"Aurora!" Peter said, surprised to see her. "I've been so worried, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Aurora replied, meeting his gaze.

"How is your leg?"

"It hurts, but Dr. Lehayim has me on a potion for the pain."

"That's good," Peter said, before noticing the book in her hand. "Were you reading? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"No, you didn't," Aurora replied quickly before he tried to leave. "Actually, I was waiting for you."

"For me?"

"Mhmmm--I have something I need to tell you."

As Aurora spoke, she looked down at the floor, unable to look at him anymore. She took a few breaths, not ready to begin and still contemplating running.

"Will you, please, sit down?" she asked Peter, trying to stall the inevitable.

Peter sat at his desk, waiting for her to begin.

"Are you not going to sit down also?" he asked.

"No, I think it would be better if I stood."

Aurora took one last breath before she began.

"I've never been good with words, Peter, but I've always been able to write. Sometimes, I think I would be able to express my feelings more by writing instead of talking. With all that said, I have something I need to tell you, but I'm going to let my journal speak for me where I know my lips would fail."

She put her diary on his desk, facing him.

"It's the page that's marked," Aurora said, before leaving the room.

As she closed the door behind her, she could hear the faint rustle of pages.

* * *

Peter opened the journal to the marked page, taking out the dried rose holding the place.

_Dear Peter,_

_From the first moment I saw you, I knew something about you was different from all the other kings I know. Most kings wish to be treated like they are higher than everyone else, but you treated me as an equal, and, even more, you treated me as a friend. When we first met, you pushed all titles aside and had me call you Peter, not "King Peter" or "Your Majesty" but Peter. _

_And then, just when I thought you couldn't surprise me anymore, you ask me to go riding with you. I know you probably thought I was terribly rude for running away, but I didn't know what to do. You were taking notice of me, something no one ever does. Then, on our outing, you made me open up. From that moment on, I knew I didn't want to be the girl I used to be, the girl who hid her true self. Everyday with you, I am becoming more and more like my old self, and it's all because of you. You took my shattered heart and put it back together. And though I may get hurt and my mended heart may be shattered again, I needed to tell you that I love you. I love you, Peter._

Peter replaced the rose, closed the journal, and smiled to himself.

* * *

Aurora was relieved that she didn't see Peter for the rest of the day. She wished to hold off that meeting as long as possible. The rest of her day she spent with Lucy and Susan, who had, luckily, not been called into another meeting like their brothers. They ate dinner in Susan's suite, sitting outside afterward to watch the sunset. They each went to their separate rooms after that and went to bed.

The next day, Aurora was alone. The four royals of Narnia and both her father and brother were at Lord Deberon's trial. She had requested not to be there; she didn't want to relive those painful memories she was so desperatelytrying to get out of her head. She spent her morning packing with a talkative beaver called Mrs. Beaver.

"You know, dear, I can do this all myself, you don't have to do it," Mrs. Beaver said, adding another folded gown to Aurora's trunk.

"I don't mind, it's kind of nice to have something to take my mind off… everything," Aurora replied, thinking about Peter. She still had yet to see him, and her anxietywas beginning to build up.

"Don't worry, dear," Mrs. Beaver said, interpreting her emotions asbeing because of the trial, "you'll get your justice, you and your father both."

Aurora silently agreed with her, putting another gown in her trunk.

"Now, go do something, it's your last day in the castle. I'm sure there's somewhere else you'd rather be than here folding gowns."

Aurora decided to go, knowing that Mrs. Beaver wouldn't stop pressing the matter until she did leave. Noticing the abandoned book on the nearest table, she grabbed it and decided to spend her last day reading.

"Thank you, Mrs. Beaver," Aurora said, giving the small beaver a kiss on the head, before going out the door.

Aurora went straight to her rose courtyard, sitting down on the swing. She opened her book, _Dances of the Faun_, and turned to the page marked by a leather strap. She quickly became immersed in her book.

Page by page, she read, not noticing anything around. She didn't know how long she had been reading, but she knew by the position of the sun overhead it must have been at least two hours and very close to lunch time.

She was just about to put her book down and go get some lunch when a voice brought her out of her concentration.

"Aurora?" Peter asked the unexpecting princess. "Aurora!" he smiled, running over to the swing. "I've been looking all over for you."

"I thought you were in trial all morning."

"We're on a break for lunch right now, and I wanted to come find you."

"You don't need me, do you? My father promised I wouldn't be needed for the trials."

"No!" he exclaimed, pulling something out from behind his back. "I want to give you this back."

Aurora took her journal.

"So you read it," Aurora stated, looking at her feet.

"Yes, I read it."

Aurora noticed that his voice had a more serious tone than before.

"That's why I wanted to find you, I need to tell you something," Peter continued. "What you wrote in that book, Aurora, was the most beautiful thing I have ever read. Of all the Shakespeare or Dickinson I've read, nothing compares to what you wrote."

_But…_ Aurora thought, waiting for her world to crash around her.

"And…"

_Wait… he said "and."_ Aurora's heart began to race nervously. She looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"I feel the same way. I think I have from the moment I first saw you. I love you, Aurora."

Aurora raised her head to meet his face.

Peter smiled at her, closing his eyes and leaning down toward her. He placed a little kiss on her unresponsive lips. He had begun to pull back when Aurora's brain finally registered what was happening.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping the two books in her hands, and pressed his lips once more upon hers.

His arms went around her waist, holding her to him. He dipped her down slightly, before pulling her up and breaking the kiss.

"I love you, Aurora," he said, smiling.

"I love you too, Peter," Aurora replied, also smiling.

And the once shattered girl and the magnificent king stood there, smiling and in love, gazing endlessly at each other

* * *

And they lived happily ever after...until the next story atleast.


End file.
